Debates of Oct. 21st, 2013

Ethics

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

No, Mr. Speaker, not all of these questions have been answered. The government needs to stop trying to change the subject to its own advantage.

Mike Duffy's lawyer says he has documents in his possession that directly tie the Prime Minister to the Senate expense scandal and the Wright-Duffy affair.

Will the Prime Minister's Office make those documents public?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter. We are continuing to work with authorities on it. Mr. Wright, at the same time, has taken full responsibility for his actions, as he should.

We are continuing to focus on jobs, growth, and economic prosperity in all regions of this country, because that is what Canadians want us to do—that is what they elected us to do—unleashing the potential of our small businesses, our medium businesses, and our large job creators so that they can seize on all of the advantages that a trade agreement with Europe has to offer.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is another question that remains unanswered. Mike Duffy's lawyer has said that his client was instructed by the Prime Minister's Office not to comply with Deloitte's requests.

Is Duffy the only senator who received those instructions?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we have put on the table many reforms to the Senate. We think that the Senate should be reformed or abolished. It is something we restated in our throne speech.

In the meantime, we are moving ahead with bringing in exciting new proposals, such as the Canada-EU free trade agreement. It is one of the biggest deals, in fact, it is the biggest trade deal, that this country has ever signed. The New Democrats have absolutely no opinion other than the fact that they do not support it. They do not support the jobs that come along with it. They do not think that our small, medium, and large businesses can compete with the rest of the world. We do, and that is why we signed this historic agreement.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week we offered the Prime Minister's latest spokesman a chance to correct the record on the Prime Minister's misleading statements in the House last June that Nigel Wright acted alone. In light of the new revelations that have come out today regarding the extent of the involvement of the PMO, will the Prime Minister's aide perhaps tell us, for example, how many lawyers from the PMO were involved in setting up the secret deal with Mike Duffy?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, where have we come? The NDP has put gerrymander in charge of ethics. The Liberals have a leader whose stage handlers are so afraid to have speak on any topic that they have muzzled him until 2015.

Thank goodness Canadians elected a strong, stable, national Conservative majority government, led by the best Prime Minister in the world, flanked by a Minister of Finance who has won awards, with the strongest cabinet in Canadian history, and Conservative members of Parliament working all over the country to hope for hope, jobs, and economic prosperity. Those are the reasons I represent.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, well, that was bizarre. I am glad to think they can at least still show some gallows humour.

In December 2012, the chief of staff to the Prime Minister told Mike Duffy that they totally supported his spending claims. In February, this position was suddenly changed, when Mike Duffy was told by Nigel Wright that “we” have decided to sacrifice Duffy to appease the Conservative base.

Today let us ask a simple question. Do the Conservatives believe, with the Senate, that Mike Duffy was guilty of gross negligence, or do they believe that he was entitled to his entitlements and still believe that he is the victim of a smear?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell him what is bizarre. What is bizarre is a party that has lost 16 straight elections and still thinks that somehow raising billions of dollars in taxes on our small, medium, and large businesses is a good idea; that a $21-billion carbon tax is a good idea; and that coming out against a free trade agreement that would open up a market of 500 million people to Canadian communities and to our job creators is a bad idea.

The NDP, on every single issue that matters, is against Canadians. Whether it is keeping communities safe, they are against it. We are for Canadians, and that is why we are moving forward.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I remind my hon. colleague that we are talking about the unprecedented investigation of the police into the office of a sitting Prime Minister. What we are looking at now is a document that shows that the Conservatives supported Mike Duffy's dubious claim that he was a resident of Prince Edward Island, and this was approved by Marjory LeBreton, the Conservative House leader, who sat in the caucus with the Prime Minister. Later, they told Mike Duffy they were going to kick him out of the Senate, because he did not meet the residency requirements.

It is a simple question. Did the then-leader of the government in the Senate clear these residency requirements with the Prime Minister? Who was told about them? Why did they think he was not eligible to sit in the Senate?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, again, so I can refresh the hon. member, we have answered and the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter. We will continue to work with all the authorities with respect to this. Mr. Wright has accepted full responsibility for his actions in this matter.

I can understand why the NDP do not want to talk about the economy. It is because they know nothing about the economy. I know why they do not want to talk about jobs and economic growth. It is because it is another topic they know nothing about. When it comes to community safety, we know that they are not interested in that at all.

We are interested in what Canadians are talking about. That is jobs, hope, and economic prosperity, and we will get the job done.

Rail Transportation

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, speaking about safety, we have another train derailment, another fire, and another community evacuation, and yet unlike her American counterpart, the minister will not make the installation of an automatic braking system mandatory. She will not increase inspections. She will not tell municipalities what dangerous cargoes are coming through their neighbourhoods. Canadians deserve better rail safety.

When will the minister act and prevent future derailments and keep our neighbourhoods safe?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we were very relieved this weekend to learn that there were no injuries involved in this incident. First responders are working with CN and the community in order to ensure that they are giving the best support they can to the incident.

With respect to the specific question, I am puzzled, because our government issued emergency directives this summer, actually, and most recently issued a protective disclosure, as well, with respect to issues brought forth by the Transportation Safety Board. We will continue to work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on the information they say they need.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the rail transportation of oil has not just doubled or tripled; it has multiplied by 280, but the rules have never been changed.

The Lac-Mégantic tragedy reminded the government that it was asleep at the switch. The accident that occurred in Alberta over the weekend is yet another reminder of the urgent need to act, but practical measures have still not been taken. DOT-111 railcars are still being used and there is still no plan to phase them out. We need more inspections and better regulations to keep people safe.

When will this be done?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government has acted very aggressively with respect to rail safety. We have hired more security. We have invested $100 million in rail safety in this country. Even with all of that, it makes sense for us to work with shippers and to work with the rail industry and municipalities to determine where we can do better, and that is exactly what we are doing.

I would caution the members, too. Both this weekend's event and the event that happened in Lac-Mégantic need to be followed up and investigated by proper authorities, and we will wait for the recommendations.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the 2005 CN derailment dumped 700,000 litres of bunker C fuel into Lake Wabamun. The current rail disaster, shutting the main line and the highway in Alberta, is happening only a few kilometres from Lake Wabamun.

In just one year, the government has allowed a 3800% increase in dangerous rail traffic, with zero community notice and zero community consent. What is this, the Wild West? When will the government take its responsibilities for rail safety seriously?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of Canadians is the top priority for our government. Indeed, that comes through, because most recently, Claude Dauphin, who is the president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said:

The government's commitment to increase the safety of the transportation of dangerous goods, and to require shippers and railways to carry additional insurance, directly respond to calls from FCM's national rail safety working group.

Simply put, we are getting the job done.

Ethics

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is refusing to answer any questions about the Wright-Duffy scandal. He denies knowing anything about the $90,000 cheque even though other members of his office knew about it.

Does the Prime Minister really believe that the residents of Bourassa, where a byelection is being held, are going to buy that? Thank goodness Mike Duffy has finally started to talk. We are listening, Mr. Duffy.

When will the Prime Minister finally tell us what actually happened in this sordid scandal?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I already said, the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter. Mr. Wright has accepted full responsibility for his actions.

Meanwhile, we have made many recommendations to reform the Senate, but the Liberals keep voting against all of these measures.

In particular, the Liberals fight for an institution that is so old it needs to be reformed, but they fight constantly for the status quo. When it comes to reforming the Senate, an elected Senate, they are against it. When it comes to accountability measures, they are against them. They should get on board.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's story on the Wright-Duffy affair has fallen apart. Canvassing yesterday in Toronto Centre showed it is clear that no one believes that the Prime Minister did not know about the $90,000 cheque from Nigel Wright to Senator Mike Duffy.

Today we have learned that the Prime Minister's chief of staff provided assurances that his behaviour was acceptable, and that is why he gave him the $90,000 to just try to make it go away.

When will the Prime Minister stop the cover-up and come clean with the people of Toronto Centre and all the people of Canada with the real, actual facts on this sordid Wright-Duffy affair?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Toronto Centre is the new finance critic for the Liberal Party because within their own party, the Liberals could not actually find a person who says, “Amen to new taxes”.

We know the Liberals have two economic policies. The first is to find a way to tax illegal drugs. The second is to continue to have an advantage for Quebec in the Senate.

The people of Bourassa and Toronto Centre want the advantages that come with opening up a market of 500 million people to their products and their services, because in Bourassa and Toronto Centre and all over this country, when Canadians are given the opportunity to compete, they succeed.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of weeks I have talked to dozens of people from the ridings of Brandon--Souris and Provencher. They do not trust the Prime Minister. They do not believe that the Prime Minister knew nothing about the $90,000 cheque from the chief of staff to Senator Duffy.

Today we learned that the Prime Minister's Office came up with the entire plan, not just the chief of staff.

My question to the Prime Minister is this: when will he stand up and be truthful to the residents of Brandon--Souris and Provencher ridings, and all Canadians?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

I am sure the 20 people who were at the nomination meeting appreciated that he talked to them, Mr. Speaker.

I do not often agree with the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Outremont. I do not agree, for instance, with the fact that he wants to tax our small businesses to death or bring in a $21 billion carbon tax. I think that would drive business to its knees and it would kill our economy, but at least he has an opinion on something. At least his party can trust him to speak and has not muzzled him until 2015.

Unleash the leader. Let him speak—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques.

International Trade

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unless they are living in a parallel universe, Canadians know that we welcomed news of a free trade agreement with the European Union, but we have yet to see the document. This morning, during a press conference, the minister said that the full text of the agreement would be released as soon as the draft was written.

A number of trade and industrial sectors are waiting on crucial answers to move ahead with their strategic planning. Can the minister tell us how long the public and we will have to wait to have access to the full text of the agreement?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, this is truly an historic agreement and one that is reflected in the agreement in principle, signed by the Prime Minister and President Barroso last Friday.

All of the salient terms of the agreement are reflected in the summary documents that have been released to the public. We do not expect the legal stuff to change any of the outcomes reflected in those documents.

I would encourage the member to now begin promoting the tremendous benefits that this agreement will deliver for Canadians right across our country, for every sector of the economy and for every region of our country.