Debates of Nov. 21st, 2013

The Environment

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here is a standard of leadership. A billion litres of toxic coal slurry was released into the Athabasca River from an abandoned coal mine.

The federal government is responsible for regulating industrial facilities to prevent such catastrophic incidents. The obvious response to a disaster of this scale is to ensure no other industrial facilities along this river pose similar risks.

Has the government taken immediate action to ensure no such incidents occur, including in the oil sands?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we do not think this is a laughing matter. Environment Canada is supporting the province and providing assistance as required. Our government has committed to enshrining the polluter pay system into law. Environment Canada's enforcement officers are looking into the situation. Our government will continue to take action against those who break environmental laws.

[An hon. member]

What did the Angolans say?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am standing here and they are mocking a third world country. It is upsetting when we look at the environment. This is something that we take seriously. We spent $1.2 billion helping countries around the world and that is—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Western Arctic.

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, looking into the situation is not good enough.

The federal government has clear responsibility over the protection of fisheries and northern and transboundary waters. We do not want to wait for Alberta. The disaster is already impacting communities downstream from the site of the spill. Monitoring the situation is not good enough.

When will enforcement action be carried out by the government? What is Environment Canada doing to protect the people in the Mackenzie Basin?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting our environment and we are beefing up, if that member was paying attention, environmental laws. We are setting a higher safety standard and creating mandatory minimum sentences for individuals who violate environmental laws.

As I have said, it is our government that has committed to enshrining the polluter pay system into law and will continue to take action against those who break the environmental laws. If the New Democrats actually believed in this, it would be nice if they would actually vote in support of our government in these actions.

Foreign Affairs

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Liberal MP for Westmount—Ville-Marie urged Canada to jeopardize its security and military relationship with the United States, yet that was the same Liberal Party that had no issue with the fact that our Canadian Armed Forces would be exposed to cluster munitions in Afghanistan simply by working on joint missions with the United States. The Liberals cannot have it both ways.

On this side of the House, we understand the importance of taking real action on the destruction of cluster munitions, while at the same time never wavering from our commitment to the men and women in uniform.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please comment on the government's response to rid the world of cluster munitions?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised that the Liberal Party wanted to abandon our partnership with the Obama administration for world peace and security. That is terribly disturbing.

I am also proud to say that Canada has never used or produced cluster munitions. As part of our leadership on this issue, not only will we fully ratify and honour all the obligations in the cluster munitions treaty, we will also spend $10 million over the next 18 months to support assistance in demining efforts of these terrible weapons.

Ethics

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Jenni Byrne is the deputy chief of staff to the Prime Minister. While she is holed up in a motel or hotel in Brandon for the byelection, she is no stranger to the executing of deceptive phone campaigns. Things are going so well in the Prime Minister's Office that I guess he does not need his deputy chief of staff in Ottawa.

What public business is Jenni Byrne conducting in Brandon? Is she reporting to Elections Canada twice daily under her daily routine?

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

Mr. Speaker, that would be too easy, since that member is surrounded by people who have broken the rules. He is surrounded by people who have broken the Canada Elections Act. He is surrounded by members who have been charged of robocalls. We know the Liberals are only talking of Brandon–Souris today, but come next week, they will not talk about it at all.

I think the people of Brandon–Souris believe what the people of my riding do. They want lower taxes; they will get that with a Conservative. They do not want a gun registry; they will get that with a Conservative. They want marketing freedom for their farmers; they will get that with a Conservative. They are proud of democracy; they will get that with the Conservatives.

On every issue that matters, it is the Conservatives who will always stand up for the people of Brandon–Souris, not the pretend Liberals.

Government Contracts

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, work has stopped on retrofits and development at Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver. Subcontractors who started work more than six months ago still have not been paid for what should have been a straightforward government contract. These are hard-working, independent business owners being forced into financial hardship and forced to walk off the job.

Will the minister take responsibility for work done for her department and ensure these contractors are paid?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we want to ensure that all employees right across the country are paid according to the rules. In certain cases, there are situations where there are subcontractors who must rely on the integrity of their employers to do the right thing. We will do everything we can to ensure those contractors do so.

Rail Transportation

[Joyce Bateman, Conservative, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Lac-Mégantic tragedy shook the country. The situation required a targeted response from Canada. Everyone agreed that decontamination was a priority and that we needed to work together to rebuild.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister tell the House what has been done to help this community get back on its feet?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for the fine work she does here in the House.

Today, the Prime Minister announced additional help for the town and people of Lac-Mégantic. We have always said that we will be there for the people of Lac-Mégantic and, today, we are once again demonstrating that commitment. This new funding will help decontaminate affected sites so that the community can rebuild. We are taking measures to ensure that those responsible for such incidents pay the price, and we will continue to work to improve rail safety in Canada.

National Capital Commission

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives want to remove any reference to the notions of climate change and the environment by changing the National Capital Commission's environmental plan.

They will plant trees instead of being carbon neutral. They will abolish the objective of providing leadership in understanding likely climate change impacts on the region, home to thousands of families.

They are convinced that they will reduce greenhouse gases by 30%, but if the NCC no longer maintains a greenhouse gas emission inventory, how will it be able to know by what percentage these emissions have been reduced?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the National Capital Commission does a phenomenal job at managing not only Gatineau Park, but the greenbelt on the Ottawa side of the Ottawa River.

It has numerous initiatives for responsible environmental policies and responsible environmental management. We have a lot of confidence that it will continue to do an extraordinary job managing these important assets, not just in the national capital regional but they are the pride of all Canadians.

Veterans Affairs

[Bruce Hyer, Independent, Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week Thunder Bay's city council voted unanimously to condemn the closure of the Veterans Affairs offices in Thunder Bay and across Canada.

Mayor Keith Hobbs called this abandonment of our veterans shameful. I have received hundreds of messages from those who are revolted by the shoddy treatment of our veterans.

Will the Conservatives please listen to the residents of Thunder Bay—Superior North and reverse these closures?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, seriously injured veterans do not have to leave their homes. We will visit them at their homes. In fact, we will cut their grass, clean their homes, and shovel their snow.

We are doing a fabulous job for veterans in support of them. The feedback I get is that Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian people are looking after them.

Sure, there are more things to be done, and that is why we are having the review of the charter.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Before I recognize the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, I know all members will be very excited this weekend to take in the 101st Grey Cup. I know the House probably has divided loyalties, but for the rest of the day as we sit here and contemplate, let us think of the foresight and, indeed, maybe providential choice by the Fathers of Confederation to choose green to be the colour of the House of Commons.

Oral Questions

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, good luck this weekend with that.

I would be remiss if I did not stand on this point of order. In response to one of his questions, one of the non-answers given by the parliamentary secretary misled the House. He said that our party had not raised the issue of veterans affairs, when, in fact, I stood in the House myself and talked about the closure of the offices in Sydney. I ask—

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. This sounds like a continuation of debate.

I see the hon. member for Hamilton Centre rising. I will recognize him with a certain degree of reluctance.

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot imagine why. With the greatest of respect, I certainly cannot challenge your opinion or authority, but it needs to be said here on the floor, as we head into this weekend: oskee wee wee.

Business of the House

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, you have only yourself to blame for that one, I am sorry to say.

The questions this week, looking forward to government business, are a bit complicated in that there have been so many scandals floating around the federal government and other right-wing governments across the country, particularly in Toronto, that it has been difficult to keep up with the actual business of the House.

Traditionally, right up until the very last general election, it was always the practice of this place to have the parties consult constructively on what could be done in Canada's House of Commons. That practice has utterly vanished under the current government.

Even when the opposition suggests passing legislation quickly, the government refuses our co-operation. It is really strange and contrary to the practices of this place.

Today for instance, we could have easily passed an important bill on air and sea transport, Bill C-3, as well as a bill on offshore health and safety, Bill C-5, and sent them to committee. Some members still wanted to speak to those bills, but I am sure they both could have been sent to their respective committees if we had debated them today.

Instead of allowing for the debate and passage of these two very important bills, which the government has said are critical, it has chosen not to take the course that would allow Parliament to do its job and effectively pass legislation, which it is constantly demanding and forcing when it feels as though it does not have its way. Instead of debating those bills, to which we have some agreement, the government has chosen from its order one of the most ideologically motivated bills I have ever seen. It is a bill that the opposition parties are united in opposition against.

I would add some causal note to this that while those of us on the New Democratic side are against this bill and stand and speak to it, the Liberal opposition way is to just utter its misgivings about the bill. Its members have chosen never to rise and address the actual issues. That is their choice, not ours, on this partisan attack against science.

All the same, I would love to know when we can get back to Bills C-3 and C-5 so that these important bills can make their way to committee for further study and investigation by experts and be one step closer to becoming law in Canada.