Debates of Feb. 5th, 2013

The Economy

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and his assessment.

In the past few weeks alone, the home improvement retailer Lowe's said it would create 1,000 jobs. The Source electronic store plans 20 new stores across Canada. Walmart announced the opening of 37 new retail centres, expected to generate more than 7,000 store, trade and construction jobs across the country.

While the NDP talks down our economy, companies in Canada are employing more and more Canadians.

Air Canada

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, speaking about jobs, when Air Canada forced Aveos to shut down, we asked the minister repeatedly to uphold the law and to order Air Canada to keep high-quality maintenance jobs here in Canada. Taking action could have saved over 2,000 jobs, but the Conservatives did nothing.

Now that the judge has spoken, when will the Conservatives enforce the law, stop Air Canada from violating the law and bring thousands of good jobs back to Canada?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the loss of these jobs was devastating for the workers and their communities. The matter is undergoing legal proceedings. We will follow that.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is the Conservatives' strategy in all its splendour. When an issue arises, no one rises on that side to speak up for workers. During the proceedings, they remain silent and I bet they will remain silent afterwards, because it will be too late yet again.

If the minister had followed his own policies, he would have ordered Air Canada to comply with the Air Canada Public Participation Act. The company would have been forced to keep the maintenance centre for its aircraft here in Canada.

Does the minister realize that his inaction over the past year has resulted in the export of many quality jobs?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, if we were to rely on the NDP, we would have a new $21 billion carbon tax, taxes would go up by $56 billion, more jobs would be killed—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. Minister of Transport has the floor.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we respect decisions made by businesses. In this case, the legal process is under way.

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Precisely, Mr. Speaker. When something must be done to enforce the law, the Conservatives do nothing. However, when people exercise their labour rights, they get involved. Is there not a contradiction here? Yet, there is a similarity between the two situations in that the Conservatives do not care about workers.

The federal government had a responsibility to step in and force Air Canada to comply with the law. Instead, Montreal has lost 1,800 good jobs.

Is it the minister who is going to pay for these salaries? Will he at least have the decency to rise and apologize?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, in our country we must respect the legal process, but the NDP does not seem to understand that. There is a legal process under way, and of course we are going to respect the processes that are in place in our country.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Air Canada's CEO seems to view Canadians the way P.T. Barnum used to view circus-goers. He is thumbing his nose at the legislation that governs his airline. He treats our Minister of Transport like a doormat.

If government wants to stand up for law enforcement and victims, why does it not stand up for the 400 victims of Calin Rovinescu in my riding of Winnipeg Centre, in Montreal, in Mississauga and around the country? It could stand up and make Air Canada live by the law of the land.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we stand up for all of Canada and the Canadian economy. There have been more than 900,000 jobs created since July 2009. We worked very hard on that.

However, on this issue, the matter is undergoing a legal proceeding and we will follow that.

Employment Insurance

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' unjust changes to employment insurance do not just penalize workers, they penalize employers too.

Whether for agriculture on the Prairies, for tourism in the Niagara region, for the education system in Quebec or for the Atlantic oil industry, employers need a trained, local workforce at times of the year when they do not offer regular work. If they do not have access to those workers, they will be forced to close their doors.

Why do the Conservatives insist on making changes to employment insurance that will eliminate jobs and penalize employers all across Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is true that there is a shortage of workers everywhere in the country. But we want to help all Canadians to find a job. With a job, they will be better off than without one. If a seasonal worker can have a full-time, better paying job, then he should take it. It will be better for him, his family and his community.

That is why we are helping people to get skills training. We want to help Canadians get to work.

Government Priorities

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, what really rubs Canadians the wrong way, what really grinds their gears, is that the Conservative government continues to rack up record deficits while it continues to cut programs and make changes that hurt the most vulnerable Canadians. It went ahead and increased its advertising budget by 72% just to pat itself on the back. That would be like the fire department arriving at a house ablaze and running around screaming, “Fire, fire”, rather than picking up the hose and putting the fire out.

The Conservatives have cut programs. They have gutted services. Have they no shame and no conscience whatsoever?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, on the subject of advertising, first of all, advertising this year is 46% below 2009-2010. As I mentioned earlier, in comparison with the last full year of the last Liberal government, way back in 2005, which spent $111 million, we are well below that.

I would just say to the hon. member that we are here to communicate with Canadians on issues that are important to them, like public health issues, economic issues and tax issues, and we will continue to do so.

Health

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the last month Health Canada has licensed more than a dozen high-caffeine energy drinks for sale in Canada. These drinks are linked to stomach pain, tremors, insomnia, abnormal heart rates and in some cases death.

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration is investigating side effects and deaths linked to energy shots. Is it not time that the Conservative government did the same and stopped its caffeine-fuelled fast-tracking of energy drinks?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has been very clear that caffeinated energy drinks are not recommended for children.

Last year our government announced a new approach to regulating energy drinks that would include limits on the level of caffeine in these products. It also includes improved labelling in order to support consumers and parents in making informed choices. The new measures will also help Canadians make informed decisions about the amount of caffeine they consume.

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister seems to be taking the matter of energy drinks lightly. But the dangers are very real.

Investigations are currently taking place in the United States following deaths that are possibly linked to these concentrates. Rather than granting temporary approval to such products while awaiting the results of the tests, Health Canada should make sure that the drinks meet public health criteria before allowing them onto the market.

Will the minister commit to providing Canadians with correct information about the dangers associated with consuming energy drinks?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, last year our government announced new approaches to regulating energy drinks that will include the limits on the level of caffeine in these products. It also includes improved labelling so that Canadians and consumers make informed choices about the level of caffeine. We have acted on this issue.

International Co-operation

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week is International Development Week.

Canada's international assistance focuses on getting tangible results for the taxpayers' investments, results like assisting those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines and delivering food and nutritional services to 1.3 million people in Mali.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation please update this House on Canada's commitment to food security?

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a global leader in providing food to those people in developing countries who need it most. We are committed to achieving long-term results that improve the lives of women, men and children living in poverty. That is why the Minister of International Cooperation announced today more Canadian support for the world's hungry under the new food assistance convention.

From untying food assistance to being the first G8 country to deliver on its L'Aquila food security commitment, our government has stood up for those most in need.

Co-operatives

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the government if we could expect that some of the $400 million in new funding for venture capital would be earmarked for co-operatives. In its response, the government basically ignored the question and made mention of a fund. But the fund in question is available only to Quebec co-operatives.

If that is the solution for funding co-operatives—an issue that the government has acknowledged—when can we expect to see a fund that is available to all co-operatives in every province and territory and not just in Quebec?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, we know that co-operatives are an important driver of Canada's economy. That is why we accepted the recommendations put forth by the committee that was struck, in particular the recommendation that responsibility for co-operatives be transferred back to Industry Canada.

I would remind my colleague that, as he is aware, the Business Development Bank of Canada also announced an investment fund for co-operatives.

Transportation

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, along with the NDP and the cities of the South Shore, now Montreal is also calling for public transit to be made a priority on the new Champlain Bridge. Ideally, it would involve a light rail transit system.

Given this consensus, can the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities assure us that the decision-making process will include a light rail system during negotiations with the Government of Quebec?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, since our very first announcement regarding a new bridge over the St. Lawrence River, we have always clearly stated that transit would be part of the new bridge. That is nothing new.

From the very beginning, we have said that it was subject to provincial jurisdictions and we would respect those jurisdictions. It is up to Quebec to decide what kind of transit system it wants to use.

Incidentally, I would like to point out that, over the past year, representatives from Transport Canada and the Government of Quebec have had 35 meetings on the subject of the new bridge over the St. Lawrence. Furthermore, in July 2012, a committee was struck at my request to oversee everything. So it is quite amusing to hear these things now.