Debates of Nov. 26th, 2013

Rail Transportation

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we take rail safety extraordinarily seriously in our government. We have been acting on it. However, what I think the member opposite should be very careful about is ensuring that he quotes the Auditor General accurately and that he gives the appropriate information to Canadians.

I quote from the Auditor General's report that the audit “focused on Transport Canada’s oversight role and was not designed to conclude on whether individual federal railways or the rail industry in Canada are safe.” That was an untruth from the member opposite.

Government Services

[Gerry Byrne, Liberal, Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte, NL]

Mr. Speaker, today's Auditor General's report says, “The government has not significantly expanded its online service offerings since 2005”. In fact, since the Conservatives have come to power they have taken Canada from being number one in e-government to number 11. Since 2006, it appears that all the funds that the government has spent on e-marketing has been for the government's benefit and not for that of its citizens.

How can any government expect to become a leader in the digital economy when the Conservative government is still in the stone age?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we are very excited to work with the Auditor General, other agents and other parliamentarians on expanding the online offerings for citizens. It is better for citizens, more convenient and less costly to the taxpayer. We are going to the online world through a single portal called “Canada.ca”. That is ongoing and we will be starting in December.

In fact, we are continuing to offer more online data for the average citizen, for researchers and for entrepreneurs. There are 200,000 data sets online as we speak.

Poverty

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, almost 25 years ago, the House unanimously adopted a motion to eradicate child poverty.

However, unfortunately, neither Liberal nor Conservative governments have solved this problem. One in seven children still lives in poverty, and that number is higher among aboriginal children. Families are having a hard time meeting their basic needs, such as shelter, food and clothing.

Why have the Conservatives not made child poverty a priority?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, under our Conservative government, we have seen major progress in reducing child poverty. Since we took office, there are 250,000 fewer children in poverty than under previous governments. Why is that? I will give members one example. We have the universal child care benefit where we give $100 per month to every child under six years old.

The opposition members laugh at that. They would take it away. We will stand up for families and for children.

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

Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago, Ed Broadbent got the unanimous support of the House on a motion to end child poverty by the year 2000. Sadly, today more children and families live in poverty. Twenty-five years of Conservative and Liberal governments failed to act on this promise.

A real economic recovery plan must include reducing and ending child poverty. Where is the recovery plan for children living in poverty?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about what our government has done to help families and children: job creation, tax reduction, the universal child care benefit.

Every time we bring forward a measure to put more money in the pockets of families and of the families who are raising children, the opposition members vote against it. We know that regarding the universal child care benefit, which families count on, the opposition members think parents would spend that money on beer and popcorn. We know they spend it to take care of their children. We will support it and we will always stand up for Canadian children.

Sealing Industry

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the World Trade Organization admitted the ban on seal products adopted in the European Union was a political decision that has no basis in evidence or science. The opposition and the radical global activists who support such a ban are disingenuous. They are against the humane, sustainable seal hunt but they probably eat other meats, such as fish and chicken, and wear leather.

Will the Minister of the Environment comment on the WTO's decision?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, opposing the seal hunt has had a devastating impact on northerners and coastal communities. The seal harvest in Canada is humane, sustainable and a well-regulated activity that provides a crucial source of income and food for Canadian sealers.

This ban, which is not based on facts or scientific evidence, undermines the Inuit way of life. Our government will continue to stand with northerners and Canadian coastal communities to defend their traditional way of life. This is why our government will be appealing the WTO decision.

Champlain Bridge

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to give the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs the opportunity to assure the House that he will honour his commitment to release his business plan for the Champlain Bridge by the end of the year, which is just a few weeks away.

At that time, will he be in a position to tell us whether he will expedite the work in a way that does not compromise the safety of public transit or the bridge's aesthetics so that the new bridge will be ready before 2021?

Is he able to guarantee that he will announce this business plan by the end of December? At that time, will he be able to tell us whether he will expedite the work?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, we are working very hard on this issue.

As recently as yesterday, a former Liberal minister said that everyone knew that the bridge was deteriorating faster than expected.

We have done our duty and have prepared for the transition. We are maintaining the existing bridge and we are going to ensure that the new bridge over the St. Lawrence is ready on time and on budget. However, no toll, no bridge.

Public Safety

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found that, for all their posturing, the Conservatives are failing to prevent people from entering the country illegally. Systems are not working as intended. Agencies are not receiving key information about high-risk travellers and the CBSA budget has been cut.

The Auditor General said, “Failure to prevent illegal entry compromises Canada’s border, the immigration program, and the safety and security of Canadians”.

When will the Conservatives stop grandstanding and start properly managing our borders?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the member should read the report. He would see that the Auditor General notes that since 2007 the CBSA is doing a better job at the frontier. That is because our government has invested and increased the number of front-line border officers by 26%. No wonder just as of last year we have stopped more than 18,700 people who were not allowed to stay here.

Correctional Service Canada

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government has consistently put the rights of victims ahead of the rights of convicted criminals. Today, the Correctional Investigator released his annual report, which among other things, calls for private prisoner accommodations as if prisons were hotels, and criticizes the use of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in prisons, as if encouraging criminals to read more were a bad thing.

Could the Minister of Public Safety comment on this report?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Northumberland—Quinte West, who had a career in public safety. He is also a member of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

I would also like to thank the correctional officers who work hard every day to keep Canadians safe.

That being said, we do not believe that convicted criminals are entitled to their own private accommodations. The suggestion of racial bias in prisons is totally inaccurate. The only identifiable group that our justice system is targeting is criminals.

Securities

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

Mr. Speaker, the same Minister of Finance who is telling us that he has no money for anyone just increased the budget for the transition office to oversee the creation of a single securities regulator by 60%.

While cuts are affecting food safety, rail safety and employment insurance, the Minister of Finance is ignoring the opposition expressed by provinces like Alberta and Quebec and shoving a plan down their throats that has received no new support.

Why is the minister investing so much in this project, which is still very hypothetical, rather than in services for Canadians?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only developed country in the world without a single securities regulator. That is why we have been working together with the provinces to establish a single securities regulator for some time. We were pleased to see provinces such as British Columbia and Ontario advance the securities regulator. We are continuing to work with all the provinces.

Public Safety

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, anyone who reads the Auditor General's report tabled this morning can reach only one conclusion: the federal government continues to jeopardize the public's health and safety.

The federal government is incapable of properly monitoring rail safety, as we saw with the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. It is incapable of following through when contaminated foods are recalled and it is incapable of preventing undesirable people from crossing our borders illegally and entering Canada.

How can the government be failing so miserably in its fundamental mission, which is to protect the public?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, again we would like to thank the Auditor General for his report. It is extremely helpful. The recommendations will be implemented by Transport Canada and we accept those recommendations.

With respect to rail safety, we have been working very hard on this issue since 2006, when we became government. We will continue to apply the same amount of effort to ensure we have the best rail safety system in Canada.

Ethics

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the consistently eloquent and very pertinent Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister said—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. We almost made it the whole way through. I will ask members to wait until the hon. member for Gatineau is finished asking the question before they applaud.

The hon. member for Gatineau.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that was the bouquet; wait until he gets the brickbat.

He said that “the Prime Minister had no knowledge of what was taking place”.

Is the Prime Minister routinely unaware or kept unaware by his staffers of what is going on in his own office?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for those kind words. It is always very nice to see such a collegial atmosphere in the House. I do like flowers and, of course, with lemons I like to make lemonade. My two daughters, this summer, actually had a lemonade stand where they sold lemonade for 5¢ on the street. They did very well. I am very proud of them.

I thank the hon. member very much for those kind words and I look forward to the rest of the debate.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

It is my pleasure today to welcome to the House of Commons athletes Katie Saunders, Matthew Judson, Aura Wilkinson, and Katie Isenor and her coach Jacquelyn from Canada’s Special Olympics team.

On behalf of all members, I congratulate them on their achievements at this year’s World Winter Games held in the Republic of Korea.