Debates of Nov. 6th, 2013

Ethics

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Wright accepted responsibility for the actions he took with his own resources, under his own authority and on his own initiative.

Mr. Wright's actions were clearly not acceptable and he admitted it. He took responsibility and he is being held accountable for his actions by the authorities.

Democratic Reform

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, today the Province of Saskatchewan is taking the first step toward Senate abolition. Why is the Prime Minister, just like the Liberal leader, defending the status quo for the Senate?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, of course, this government has proposed, since the beginning, reforms to the Senate. In fact, it is the NDP that has opposed any reforms to the Senate. In fact, the NDP governments are actually right now before the court arguing that we should make Senate abolition virtually impossible to achieve.

When it comes to the status quo in the Senate, the NDP is not the solution; it is part of the problem.

Ethics

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is time to come clean on the Wright-Duffy affair. The Prime Minister's mouthpiece claims he was not aware of the RCMP investigating “anyone currently in PMO”. But, of course, the PMO staff involved in this scandal have been promoted. The Minister of Natural Resources's new chief of staff, Chris Woodcock, allegedly wrote the cover-up script for Mike Duffy.

Can the government confirm whether Mr. Woodcock has been contacted by the RCMP?

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

Mr. Speaker, as we have said from the beginning, we will continue to co-operate with authorities on this matter. Mr. Wright has been very clear who he brought into his confidence on this matter.

At the same time, we are very proud of those Conservative senators who supported this motion yesterday. Of course, Liberal senators did exactly what we expected them to do: fought for the status quo in the Senate. As the Prime Minister just said, the Liberals will always fight for their entitlements, but they will never fight for taxpayers.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I did not get an answer to my question, so let us try again. We are talking here about the guy who allegedly instructed Duffy to lie, something this Parliamentary Secretary appears to condone.

Has Mr. Woodcock had contact with the RCMP in any way?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will speak much slower so that he can understand me. We will continue to work with the authorities on this matter. Mr. Wright was very clear about who he brought into his confidence on this.

If only the Liberals had actually supported taxpayers and Conservative senators, and actually voted to suspend these three senators. I am very proud of the fact that Conservatives on this side of the House and in the Senate will always stand up for taxpayers.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, instructing someone to lie to cover up the Wright-Duffy agreement could constitute a criminal offence.

Chris Woodcock was the Prime Minister's adviser, his “Mr. Clean”. He was promoted and is now chief of staff to a minister.

Has Mr. Woodcock been contacted by the RCMP or did he provide the RCMP with documents and emails on his own initiative?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the authorities in this matter.

As I have said on a number of occasions, Canadians have said loud and clear that they want accountability in the Senate. Yesterday, unfortunately, Liberal senators once again let them down. The Liberal senators are fighting very hard for the status quo. Conservative senators in the Senate did Canadians proud yesterday by suspending these three senators without pay, standing up for taxpayers.

Health

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are failing on one of the most important issues for Canadians: health care. The College of Family Physicians of Canada released its report card evaluating five key areas. The Conservative government failed. It failed on access to primary care, failed on home care, failed on children's health care, failed on funding, and failed on overall leadership. That is the verdict of family doctors across Canada.

When will the minister stop failing and end the growing health care crisis?

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to a strong publicly funded health care system. In fact, our government has provided stable, predictable funding to the provinces that will reach a record $40 billion by the end of the decade. We are focused on working with the provinces and territories on innovative solutions to ensure that the health care system is sustainable and is delivering the care Canadians need.

[Dany Morin, NDP, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the parliamentary secretary forgot to mention is that the government made $31 billion in cuts on the backs of the provinces.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada's assessment of the federal government's role in health services is scathing. The Conservatives failed to make services available across the country; failed to offer services to the most vulnerable members of our society; failed to ensure equal access to services across the country, particularly in the regions; failed to implement a pan-Canadian health strategy; and failed to provide adequate funding for research.

The Health Council and the Wait Time Alliance have also spoken out about this problem. Can the Minister of Health explain all these failures to Canadians?

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, our government is the single largest investor when it comes to research. We have funded over $1 billion. Our government is committed to supporting innovation and research that improves the efficiency of the health care system and helps Canadians maintain good health.

We are also investing in key areas mentioned in the report, including health human resources, health information technology, and other pan-Canadian priority areas, such as cancer and mental health.

Canadian Forces

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us continue with the topic of Conservative mismanagement.

Too many soldiers who have been wounded in combat are being released from the Canadian Forces before achieving the 10 years of service required to receive a pension. We have raised this serious issue in the House on a number of occasions, but the minister continues to deny that this problem exists. He says that it does not.

Can the minister stop hiding his head in the sand and commit to ensuring that soldiers will not be released before they have earned the right to a pension?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the department makes every accommodation to ensure that soldiers are kept in the forces and are provided with the best possible care before being considered for release.

I cannot comment on the specifics of any particular case, but I will say, with respect to pension eligibility, that it is based on long-standing terms and is determined by how much accrued time each individual has accumulated. That has not changed.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in a question last week, the minister clearly said, in terms of Corporal David Hawkins, that everybody is released from the military when their time is ready, when they seem fit to leave. The reality is, in Corporal Hawkins' case, that this is not the truth. He had a grievance filed against the defence department, and in the middle of that grievance, he was let go, before his 10 years. It is clear that the government is trying to balance its deficit in the defence department on the backs of our injured heroes.

It is too late for David Hawkins right now, but for the other 200 every year who are medically released before their 10 years, would the minister now put a stop to this process and ensure that the heroes of our country get the benefits they so richly deserve?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the department will continue to work with all those individuals to prepare them for transition.

I wish the hon. member would address the question of why, over all these years, he and his party continue to not support, and fight us on, all the millions of dollars we are putting toward ill and injured Canadian soldiers. Why does he not answer that question for a change?

Veterans Affairs

[Rodney Weston, Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this place with a question for the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

At a time when some are trying to tear away at the honour we should be demonstrating to Canadian veterans, our government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs remain focused on remembering those who have given their lives in the service of our country. Would the Minister of Veterans Affairs please update this House on how he plans to remember Canadian veterans?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, for far too long, the Korean War has been the forgotten war. Successive governments have brushed aside complaints by Korean War veterans that Canadians simply did not know their sacrifice or their remarkable accomplishments. Not this year. This can be said no longer. Our government has spent 2013 working with members of Parliament, members from the other place, veterans associations, and indeed, foreign governments to right this wrong.

As Remembrance Day approaches, I call upon all parliamentarians and Canadians to learn about and to remember those who fought so bravely in the Korean War.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the courts have struck down parts of budget 2012. The Conservatives' unilateral changes to social assistance in Mi'kmaq communities targeted Canada's poorest citizens, and the Conservatives could not even say who their changes would affect.

Would the minister admit his mistake and abandon his plan to gut social assistance?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, a court rendered its decision yesterday. We are in the process of reviewing the decision. Once it is reviewed, we shall take a position on it.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have it in for some of the most vulnerable members of aboriginal communities, which are already struggling with an unacceptably high poverty rate.

Rather than consulting with aboriginal communities or conducting impact studies, the minister waited until the Federal Court blocked the changes that he wanted to make to the welfare program.

Does the minister now realize that he made a mistake and will he respect the Federal Court's decision?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I just told the hon. member's colleague, the Federal Court rendered its decision yesterday. We are in the process of reviewing the decision, and once it is reviewed, we will take a position on it.

The Environment

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this has to be a world record in bad policy, and it is attracting more and more attention, both at home and around the world.

Yesterday, the United Nations published a report on global greenhouse gas emission trends. The Conservatives earned a special mention. They are lagging behind the most when it comes to combatting rising greenhouse gas emissions. The polluter-pay system is long overdue.

When will the minister table her emissions reduction targets for the oil and gas sectors?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken action to address climate change. We introduced new emissions regulations for vehicles. We are the first major coal user to ban construction of traditional coal-fired power plants.

Thanks to our actions, carbon emissions will go down close to 130 megatonnes from what they would have been under the Liberals. We are accomplishing this without the NDP carbon tax, which would have raised the cost of everything.