Debates of Feb. 14th, 2013

Canada Post Corporation

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Minister of State (Transport)]

Mr. Speaker, that is an extraordinary question from the NDP, the same NDP that blocked our government's efforts to restore postal service in 2011. The NDP tried to prolong the mail service disruption by blocking our legislation to restore mail service. In fact, the big union bosses thanked the NDP for delaying our legislation to restore mail service.

If the member has any other questions, I would be happy to email him the answers.

Transport

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, ensuring the safety of Canadian families is very important to our Conservative government. Today our government introduced new safety regulations that would require new vehicles in Canada to have shoulder belts in the rear centre seat. These regulations would also strengthen safety testing and further align our standards with those of the United States.

Would the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities update the House on these new regulations that would both enhance the safety of Canadians and boost cross-border trade?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, our government is standing up for Canadians by making shoulder belts mandatory in the rear middle seat. This will reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads. We are also delivering on our commitment to further align our standards with those of the United States, which will contribute to long-term economic growth.

The president of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada said the government is to be commended for ensuring that Canada's regulatory framework keeps pace with industry safety practices. We are doing the job.

Employment Insurance

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, who am I? My lifestyle is very lucrative. I only work a few days a year, no more than three days a week and only if I want to.

The Minister of Human Resources would say—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources would probably say unemployed workers, the people who are looking for work and who she singles out as bad guys. But, no, the answer is a senator who works 56 days a year for $132,000.

How can the minister justify the waste in the Senate while cutting employment insurance?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government has expanded the range of services provided to unemployed workers to help them return to work.

We have enhanced the job alert service and our job bank to help workers find available jobs in their field, in their region. They will be better connected to available jobs, and they and their families will be better off. We are here to help Canadians.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, my colleague from Acadie—Bathurst informed the Minister of Human Resources that the Conservative Government of New Brunswick opposes the employment insurance reform. Had the minister consulted the provinces, there may not have been such a wave of protest.

New Brunswick's deputy premier said, “We oppose the reform introduced by the federal government last spring.” The minister gave a ridiculous response that had to do with Newfoundland and Labrador.

Of what use are the Conservative members for New Brunswick and Quebec if they have no clout in cabinet?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote a New Brunswick professor:

EI has hurt Atlantic Canada.... We need to encourage workers to work. I've heard too many business people tell me they can't find workers.

That is exactly what we are doing. We are connecting unemployed workers to available jobs in their region so they are better off. That is a good thing for Canadians and New Brunswickers.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, from families going to Disney World to snowbirds getting away for the winter, two million Canadians travel to Florida every single year, but our driver's licences suddenly have become invalid in the sunshine state.

Why did Canadians have to learn about this through the media, and why did they have to rely on the Geneva convention to be protected? We have not heard a peep yet from the Conservatives. Has it come to the point where the cuts to the Department of Foreign Affairs have become so drastic that it cannot even phone Florida?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand what the cuts have to do with this whole thing. It is a law made by the State of Florida.

We have concerns with this change. That is why earlier today, at the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Doer made representations to the governor's office to express our concerns with the impact this would have on Canadian travel. I am pleased to inform the House that the Florida Highway Patrol will defer enforcement of this change.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today we learned, thanks to the media yet again, that it has been illegal to drive in Florida with a driver's licence from Quebec or any other province since January 1 of this year.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. There are far too many cross-conversations going on.

Order, please.

The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would not have to speak so loudly if the other side were not so noisy.

Thankfully, the American authorities have backtracked because this measure may be in violation of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.

Why did the Conservative government not warn travellers when the measure was put in place?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me just repeat what I told her colleague on the other side.

As I said, we have concerns with this change. That is why earlier today, and I will say it very slowly, at the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Doer made representation to the governor's office to express our concern with the impact this would have on Canadian travellers. I am happy to report to the House that the Florida Highway Patrol will defer enforcement—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Charlottetown.

Veterans Affairs

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's phony performance by the Minister of National Defence was farcical. Bravely answering a planted question, he pretended to be outraged by the legal costs resulting from the government's class action settlement with veterans.

Does he really believe that Canadians forget that it was the Conservative government that dragged disabled veterans through the courts for five long years in the first place?

How much of the legal costs, all caused by the government, will it agree to pay, or will it stick the veterans with the whole bill?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated very clearly yesterday, we have voiced our concerns about the costs associated with the legal fees that are being sought by those who were defending the veterans at this class action. We have acted quickly to settle this class action upon the court's decision being rendered.

We have made our views very clear that we feel the lawyers are seeking excessive costs. This settlement was intended then, as now, to respond to the needs of veterans and their families.

If the member wants to stand up for lawyers, he is welcome to do so. We will stand up for veterans.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I am here to stand up for veterans. I am here to stand up for the veterans who the government fought for five years in court. If it is not bad enough that it fought this group of disabled veterans for five years, there are two more class action lawsuits that it will not negotiate. It will not sit down. It is waiting for these guys to also rack up a great big bill that would either have to be paid by the veterans or the taxpayers.

What will it be? Will the government sit down with this group of disabled veterans or treat them like the ones in the Manuge case?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, putting aside his feigned indignation, I have already indicated we have in fact acted quickly to ensure that this settlement benefits veterans and their families. That is the responsible thing to do.

We have also indicated to the judge who was adjudicating that we feel the lawyers' fees that are being claimed and applied in this case are excessive.

We hope, though we will not interfere in that decision, that the judge will do the right thing and ensure that these funds are going to veterans in a way that will help them and their families.

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

Mr. Speaker, those kinds of comments also make us reverse our lunch when we hear stuff like that, because it was the government and the Prime Minister that forced 7,500 disabled heroes and their families through the courts when they were advised repeatedly in 2006 and 2007 to stop the legal proceedings because not one plug nickel should go to any legal fees. This should have been settled out of court many, many years ago.

Will the Prime Minister of Canada please stand on his feet and apologize to those 7,500 heroes and their families for dragging them through the courts in the first place?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, again that is a bit rich coming from this member in particular and his party.

In addition to settling this particular lawsuit, which has amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, I would point to the billions of dollars that have been added to the benefits for veterans and their families and for members of the Canadian armed forces through new programs, new equipment, new support, new infrastructure across the country and new protective equipment, all of which has been consistently opposed and voted against by that member and the hypocrisy of his party.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we oppose and New Democrats will oppose every single time is closure of Veterans Affairs offices, $250 million cut from the DVA, and now we oppose the Conservative government's action against the 1,000 disabled RCMP veterans who it is now dragging through the courts once again.

It is bad enough that it drags disabled military veterans through the courts; now it is dragging disabled RCMP veterans and their families through the courts.

Will the government now do the right thing for these veterans and the taxpayers: stop these legal proceedings, sit down with the RCMP veterans and negotiate a fair settlement so they can get on with their lives?