House of Commons Hansard #215 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was discrimination.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order, please. I have asked members to wait until the response is finished before they start their applause. I do not think the minister quite finished his response.
We will have to look at getting rid of coffee at caucus meetings, since today is not going as smoothly as other days.
The hon. member for Wild Rose.
Blake Richards Conservative Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, under the leadership of our Conservative government, Canada has become a leader in a troubled global economy. We have the lowest debt burden and the strongest job creation record in the G7, with over 900,000 net new jobs since July 2009. Not only that, but the IMF and the OECD forecast Canada to be among the fastest-growing G7 economies in the years ahead.
Canada is a model for the world. Can the parliamentary secretary share with this House the latest example of the recognition our economic leadership has received abroad?
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, Canada is indeed being recognized around the world. Here is what the CEO of Cisco Systems, a leading global enterprise, had to say about the economic leadership of our Conservative government:
The easiest place in the world to do business is Canada. Their prime minister gets it. They make it easy for me to invest and do acquisitions there; they have a great education program and they have a great immigration policy.
While our plan attracts investment and creates jobs for Canadians, the NDP will harm that with the $21 billion--
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order, please. The hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources misled the House by denying the existence of employment insurance quotas, and she continues to do so by repeating ad nauseam that employment insurance will be there for unemployed workers who need it.
Yet she put an end to a pilot project that provided an additional five weeks of benefits in regions with high unemployment and axed another pilot project, which means that workers now have to work more hours even though their benefit period will be shorter from now on.
As a result, many seasonal workers will lose one to three months of benefits when they have no income. Employment insurance will not be there for them.
Will the minister apologize to the unemployed workers who are the victims of these changes?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, a few years ago when we announced the pilot project involving an additional five weeks of benefits, we clearly stated on numerous occasions that the program was temporary and would be in place only during the global recession.
Times have changed and, as planned, we have put an end to this program. We have made changes to help unemployed workers find jobs in their region and in their field.
Jonathan Tremblay NDP Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. For months, workers, employers and representatives of my region have been trying to meet with the minster to get her to listen to reason. The gutting of the EI program will unfairly punish seasonal workers.
It will also deprive industries of valuable expertise. The costs associated with training and lost productivity will be enormous. People in my riding think that the Conservatives want to empty the regions.
After months of pressure, will the minister finally meet with representatives from a number of the affected regions? Will she listen to them and work to find solutions to the problems that they raise?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what I am going to do in the near future. We will continue to help unemployed workers and let them know about jobs available in their region. This will be better for them, their families and the community. That is a good thing.
François Lapointe NDP Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government could not be more out of touch with the needs of seasonal industries. The minister did not anticipate that her reform would overload SMEs with job applications, which is counter-productive.
She defends her new electronic system, which encourages unemployed people back home to travel 31 km by rowboat to work on Isle-aux-Coudres. She ignores the fact that the Quebec tourism industry association has criticized the reform and has urged her to suspend it. She is dismantling the human resource base of many industries, including the forestry industry.
She must live in a parallel universe if she believes that destroying employment insurance is a good thing for workers. Will she suspend her botched reform today?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know the truth about this issue. We have repeated many times in the House that decisions regarding the eligibility of claimants depend on individual circumstances.
We have a goal and we know that when people are working, they are better off than when they are not working. So it makes sense to help families, unemployed workers and communities.
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development thinks that it is open season on unemployed workers at Service Canada.
The inspectors have quotas to meet and they are evaluated every week based on the number of claimants they eliminate. Plus, managers receive bonuses when everything goes well.
The Conservatives are tracking the unemployed as though they were all fraudsters, but they are not tracking senators. What is worse is that the minister told us right to our faces that this reform will help workers. She is mocking us. Workers have had enough.
Will the minister immediately put an end to her ill-advised reform for workers, or do she and the Prime Minister not care at all?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, let us be reasonable. Canada has an employment insurance system to help people who have lost their jobs and are looking for new ones. That is the truth, and we support these principles.
We owe it to the unemployed, to taxpayers, and to the employers and employees who contribute to the EI fund to make sure that money is there for the people who are entitled to benefits. That is our goal and we are working towards that.
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have just seen how insensitive the minister can be towards workers.
Will she at least listen to entrepreneurs and job creators, who are saying that her reform will do the exact opposite of what she hopes to achieve, increase the labour shortage and put seasonal industries at risk?
Will she listen to Marinard Ltée, Les Pêcheries Gaspésiennes Inc., the Regroupement des employeurs du secteur bio-alimentaire, the Association des marchands de Rimouski, the Chambre de commerce et de tourisme de Gaspé, the Chambre de commerce de Baie-des-Chaleurs, the Chambre de commerce de Charlevoix, the Chambre de commerce de la MRC du Rocher-Percé, the Rivière-du-Loup tourism association, the Charlevoix Regional Tourism Association, the Chambre de commerce de—
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, of course there are employers who need skilled workers.
That is why we are investing in the system to help those employers find the right workers who have the skills required. This includes seasonal employers, of course, as well as full-time employers.
We want to connect people with the jobs that are available to them. If there are no jobs available, employment insurance will be there, as always.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Speaker, first the Minister of Human Resources throws a net around the entire community of Bay St. Lawrence, stops payment to anyone receiving EI benefits and has claimants show up at the RCMP station to prove their case, only to find just a few questionable files. Now she has placed a bounty on unemployed workers, making reluctant civil servants go out and do her dirty work. It is like a bad episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter.
When in Canada did we go from investigation to intimidation? When did we do that?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, let us inject some truth into this discussion. The employment insurance system is there to support people while they are looking for another job. There are responsibilities, while people are claiming it, to be actively looking for another job. EI is paid for by employers and employees. We as a government owe it to them to make sure that eligible people are receiving those benefits. That shows respect for all of them.
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-419 on the bilingualism of officers of Parliament will be put to a vote this evening.
It is unfortunate that the Conservatives forgot the parliamentary tradition of appointing bilingual officers of Parliament and that the NDP was forced to remind them of it with a bill.
However, they are not the only ones to have lost their way. Auditor General Kenneth Dye, who was appointed by Pierre Elliot Trudeau, did not speak a word of French.
Now that the Prime Minister has acknowledged that appointing unilingual officers of Parliament is a mistake, can the Conservatives assure us that they will not prevent Bill C-419 from going to committee?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, we always try to appoint qualified people to these positions, and we clarify that they must be bilingual. With our roadmap for official languages we have invested $1 billion over five years and have had good success.
According to Marie-France Kenny, “The Minister of Canadian Heritage [and the government] are to be commended for their commitment and their efforts to achieve this result [for the official languages].”
Our approach is getting results and we have policies. We will continue to protect both official languages in the House of Commons and across Canada.
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives are serious about protecting the French language, they will have to be accountable with respect to the status of the study of French in federally regulated businesses.
In November 2011, the member for Mégantic—L'Érable promised to set up a committee to study the issue.
It is now 2013. Where is the committee? Who will sit on it, and what will its mandate be?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, the committees themselves can make these decisions. I am certain that the minister will take the necessary steps to protect Canada's official languages.
I would like to remind the House, as I just said in French, that our government's approach to respecting both of Canada's official languages is something of which we are very proud because of the results we have seen.
In fact, here is what Marie-France Kenny, who is the president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, said. She said, “We salute [this government's] commitment” and “Thank you for defending the interests of francophone and Acadian Canadians”. She is a spokesperson who has come out time and again recognizing our government's efforts to protect French in all parts of this country, including here in the House of Commons.
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canada's aerospace and space sectors are major contributors to our economy, providing good quality, well-paying jobs to Canadians. Our government has a proven record of support. In a report commissioned by our government, Mr. Emerson noted that the Canadian space industry is well positioned to take advantage of emerging opportunities, to succeed commercially and to contribute to the public good.
Canadians from coast to coast to coast are proud of these iconic national industries. Can the Minister of State for Science and Technology update the House on the latest developments in the space sector?
Gary Goodyear ConservativeMinister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vancouver South for a very relevant, tough but fair question.
It is true. The Minister of Industry announced, today, a $15.8 million contract to MacDonald Dettwiler for the design of a very sophisticated mapping system, demonstrating once again this Conservative government's commitment to Canada's space industry and to jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.
What would be very nice is if the NDP would drop its political games and fearmongering agenda and help do something positive for Canadian industry.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. First nations police forces are keeping their communities safer. Since 2004, violent crime is down 19%, homicide is down 36% and assaults are down 20%. Alarmingly, this so-called law and order government is slashing $15 million from the first nations policing program.
Will the Minister of Public Safety reassure first nations today that the $15 million of funding will be renewed before March 31 so they will not have to lay off the essential first nations police?
Vic Toews ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister answered that earlier in question period.
I find it interesting that the member is talking about improving safety for aboriginals, yet that member and her party oppose matrimonial real property rights for aboriginal women, tougher sentences for sexual assault, ending house arrest for serious crimes, tougher penalties for those who sell drugs to our children and funding to keep young people out of gangs.
We will take no lesson from that party.