Debates of Dec. 4th, 2013

Labour-sponsored Funds

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a thousand people have signed a petition reminding the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and all members, particularly in the Conservative Party, that labour-sponsored funds, which are often used as a primary tool for saving for retirement, are savings vehicles for the middle class. These investments often go to small and medium-sized businesses.

The petitioners are calling on the Conservatives, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister to take all necessary steps to reverse the government's decision to eliminate the 15% federal tax credit granted to people who invest in labour-sponsored funds, as announced in the budget on March 21, 2013.

Shark Finning

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition. Petitioners say that the practice of shark finning results in an estimated 73 million sharks a year being killed for their fins alone and that over one-third of all shark species are threatened with extinction as a result of shark finning. They say that measures must be taken to stop the global practice of shark finning and to ensure the responsible conservation and management of sharks. They call on the Government of Canada to immediately legislate a ban on the importation of shark fins into Canada.

Income Tax Deductions

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is a petition in response to a bill introduced by my colleague, the member for Hamilton Mountain. Her bill would amend the Income Tax Act so that travel and accommodation for tradespersons would be allowed which would therefore enable many of those tradespersons to find work. As members know, unemployment is a serious problem in our region.

Navigable Waters Protection Act

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of London constituents who call on the government to enact Bill C-498, which is my bill, that would protect the Thames River, the North Thames, and the Middle Thames, by placing them back under the Navigable Waters Protection Act. This is a heritage river, and we need to protect it.

Mining Industry

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise on behalf of a constituent by the name of Alda De Rosa. I met with Alda, and she presented a petition asking for the creation of a legislative ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on behalf of numerous Canadians who are asking for the federal government to commit to stable and predictable long-term core funding for Canada's public broadcasting, including CBC Radio and Radio Canada.

As the source for local and national news, it is a medium for the broadcast of Canadian culture and viewpoints and is an avenue for expression for Canadian independent artists. It is public radio that is a vital component of our national identity and experience. In Thunder Bay—Superior North, in northwestern Ontario, it is a powerful community voice that unites us in northwestern Ontario.

The Environment

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present petitions from Toronto residents opposed to the reversal of Line 9 to ship raw bitumen through our city by a 40-year-old pipeline that was originally built for light crude oil.

Instead of trying to address the significant environmental and health concerns raised by the signatories and the NDP, the Conservative government has shut out the public from the consultation process, demolished environmental assessments, and wiped out protections for our lakes and rivers.

The government is determined to ram Line 9 through Toronto no matter what the cost to our city, environment and the future health of our communities, and we completely reject this approach.

Mining Industry

[José Nunez-Melo, NDP, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of presenting three petitions signed by many people in my riding and the surrounding areas in support of the creation of a legal ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining.

Income Tax Deductions

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. One is in support of my colleague for Hamilton Mountain who introduced Bill C-20. This petition, from people from my riding in Azilda, Chelmsford, Val Therese, Sudbury, and Hanmer, asks that the government help these tradespersons with expenses when they have to move to find employment.

National Dementia Strategy

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in support of my Bill C-356, An Act respecting a National Strategy for Dementia.

As the Minister of Health is headed to London for the G8 meetings, where they will be discussing the effects of dementia, hopefully she will come back to Canada with a plan to install this strategy.

Mining Industry

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions. The first petition is from residents of the Kipawa Lakes area, Timiskaming, and other places nearby, who are very concerned about a proposal for a rare earth mining project. The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to recognize the unique ecological, cultural, and historical aspects of their area and to deny approval for the mining project.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is from residents throughout British Columbia, from Vancouver as well as Denman Island and Cumberland. The petitioners are calling on the House to work to ensure that the northern gateway project proposed by Enbridge is thoroughly assessed and ceases to be the subject of boosterism from the current administration.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 61 and 62.

Question No. 61

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

With regard to National Defence, what are the details, by description and fiscal year, of the approximately $407 million in investments at 5 Wing Goose Bay since 2006, which were referred to by the Associate Minister of National Defence during debate in the House of Commons on June 4, 2013?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the $407 million in planned investments at 5 Wing Goose Bay referred to by the former associate minister of national defence during debate in the House of Commons on June 4, 2013, consist of the projects that follow.

The first area is environmental remediation. Under the Goose Bay remediation project, up to $300 million in funding, including contingency funding but excluding taxes, will be invested until 2020 to reduce the liability associated with contamination and to reduce any risk to human health and the environment. This project includes the assessment and remediation of historical contamination and the removal of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Between 2006 and 2013, the Department of National Defence invested $42,737,730 through this program. The details by fiscal year are as follows: fiscal year 2006-07, $5,651,124; fiscal year 2007-08, $3,381,290; fiscal year 2008-09, $4,620,357; fiscal year 2009-10, $5,581,744; fiscal year 2010-11, $7,107,742; fiscal year 2011-12, $6,316,732; and fiscal year 2012-13, $10,078,741.

The second area is infrastructure projects. Approximately $107 million has been allocated for planned investments in infrastructure.

In addition to the $407 million detailed above, $20.3 million was invested in the resurfacing of Runway 8/26, which took place between fiscal year 2006-07 and fiscal year 2009-10.

Question No. 62

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the automotive and manufacturing industry in Canada, has the government worked with any global automotive or manufacturing company to increase existing investments or to bring in new automotive investments in the form of new factories, products, or jobs, to Canada since 2006?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is one of the most welcoming and profitable places in the world for international business and foreign direct investment. Canada’s economy, widely recognized as one of the world’s most innovative and stable, offers investors a series of competitive advantages, such as low business costs and corporate tax rates, ready access to markets, strong public support for R and D, and robust financial institutions. Industry Canada routinely meets with global stakeholders to promote Canada as an ideal location for investment in the automotive and manufacturing sector.

The Government of Canada understands the importance of the automotive and manufacturing sectors to the Canadian economy and has established a fiscal and economic environment that supports investment in these sectors. Government policies that support investment in Canada’s automotive and manufacturing sectors include streamlining regulations and reducing red tape; enhancing trade and market access; and investing in innovation and research and development.

Canada is alone among the Group of Seven, or G7, countries to receive the highest possible credit ratings from all the major credit rating agencies, which contributes to our strong global reputation. The Government of Canada has earned the trust of global investors for our responsible fiscal, economic, and financial sector management, which makes Canada an increasingly attractive destination for investment.

In Canada’s economic action plan 2013, the government announced $1.4 billion in tax relief for Canadian manufacturers by extending by two years the temporary accelerated capital cost allowance for new investments in machinery and processing and by creating a business tax environment that is conducive to foreign investment. Some 25,000 businesses in Canada used the accelerated capital cost allowance to write off the purchase of new investments and machinery since the federal government first introduced the measure in 2007.

By completing the Canada-EU comprehensive economic and trade agreement, CETA, we are opening up the largest market in the world for Canadian exporters. With CETA, Canada will be the only G8 country and one of the few developed countries in the world to have preferential access to the world’s two largest markets, the EU and the United States. This will make Canada the envy of trading nations and an even more attractive destination for investors and manufacturers looking to benefit from this access.

With regard to the automotive sector, the government has made investments in automotive research and development, such as Automotive Partnership Canada and Auto 21. The government has also made strategic investments in Canada’s automotive sector through the Automotive Innovation Fund, AIF, as the Government of Canada’s main lever to secure major automotive manufacturing investments. Introduced in 2008 and renewed in January 2013, the AIF has been highly successful, generating $2.3 billion in private sector investments by Ford, Linamar, Toyota, and Magna for advanced strategic projects to bring innovative and more fuel-efficient vehicles to market. These investments have generated significant economic benefits throughout the industry and for local communities. With a funding envelope of $250 million over the next five years, the AIF will continue to support major strategic automotive investments that contribute to the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of Canada’s assembly facilities.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 46, 47, 49, 52, 57, 63 and 64 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 46

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

With regard to the Canada Summer Career Placement Program/Summer Jobs Program: (a) what was the total amount of funding allocated to the program on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding; (b) what was the total amount of funding spent through the program on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding; (c) if there was a difference between funding allocated and funding spent through the program, what accounts for the difference each year, broken down by year; (d) what was the total number of student summer jobs created on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding; (e) what are the names of the employers awarded funding through the program on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding; (f) what was the average wage paid on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding; and (g) what was the total number of hours of work funded on an annual basis from 2005 to 2013 (i) overall in Canada, (ii) by province and territory, (iii) by riding?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 47

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

With regard to citizenship applicants from 2011-present, broken down by year: (a) what is the percentage breakdown of all applicants by country of birth for any countries of birth where the number of applicants represented 1% or more of the total; (b) how many applications were received from each country in (a); (c) of those in (a), broken down by country and listed as a percent, how many applicants received a residence questionnaire; (d) what is the policy for determining whether applicants receive a residence questionnaire or not; (e) has this policy been changed since 2011; and (f) if it has changed, what was the previous policy?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 49

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

With regard to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans: (a) what is the complete and detailed breakdown of all money spent to date as part of the Atlantic Lobster Sustainability Measures program; (b) what is the complete and detailed breakdown of all money spent as part of the Community Adjustment Fund on measures related to Canada’s lobster industry; (c) what is the total amount of lobster landed in each lobster fishing area (LFA) in each year since 2000; (d) what is the total number of lobster fishing licenses issued in each LFA since 2000; (e) what is the total amount of lobster exported by Canada in each year since 2000, broken down by export country in both quantity and dollar value; (f) what is the total amount of lobster imported by Canada each year since 2000, broken down by country, in both quantity and dollar value; and (g) what measures will the government take to address the significantly low prices being paid to lobster fishers in 2013?