Debates of Feb. 6th, 2013

Canadian Wheat Board

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after the government dismantled the farmer owned and operated Canadian Wheat Board, the minister appointed unelected directors to rebrand the institution. It has not been a success. So much so that they are reverting to 1950s pin-up ads to sell wheat.

The new CWB ad symbolizes the Conservative agenda, setting farmers and women decades back.

Since the minister appoints the directors to run the show, will he tell his buddies to take the ad down, or is this how he really sees western Canadian men and women?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the question. The ad in question was put up by the board. Its spokesman, Dayna Spiring, did some focus group testing on it, and 90% of the responses on their email have been very positive.

At the end of the day, where the member is actually totally wrong is in the unprecedented success that western Canadian farmers have enjoyed under the freedom to market their own product. Now, with the rail review legislation before the House of Commons, I ask her to support that and move it through so they can continue to have a banner year.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the reality about the appointed directors is that it is the minister's responsibility to appoint them and if he wants the ad down, he should unappoint those directors who put the ad up in the first place.

Since the Wheat Board was dismantled, the Conservative appointees are creating instability and confusion for many farmers. We have heard from a lot of them. In fact, they actually alienated prairie farmers across the country. Instead of listening to farmers, Conservatives would rather play ideological games, and we see that with this ad.

With an ongoing hog crisis and cuts to risk management programs, it is a shame the Conservatives really are not listening to all prairie farmers. Why are they taking hard-working farmers for granted?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, we have done no such thing. I know the other day I was chastised me for the amount of lobbyists I had visit me. That is called consultation. We continue to do that with farm groups and with everybody involved in the whole value chain across the agricultural sector. We will do that because we agree there is a bright future out there.

Every time we do start to move forward in a positive way, the NDP members stand up, rail against it and vote against it. That is unfortunate.

I have attended every major agricultural event across western Canada and into Ontario this year. I have enjoyed doing that, meeting with grassroots farmers. They agree we are on the right track and they will continue to support us.

Veterans Affairs

[Bryan Hayes, Conservative, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on the well-being of Canada's veterans. When questions arose about the potential risks of exposure to depleted uranium, the Minister of Veterans Affairs struck an arm's-length committee of international medical experts to study the issue. The committee spent countless hours meeting with witnesses and reviewing evidence from around the globe. The minister promised to make this report public so veterans and Canadians could be assured they would have the best information available.

Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs please update the House on this important promise?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Sault Ste. Marie, who makes an outstanding contribution to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Like all Canadians, our government wants the care provided to veterans to be based on the latest scientific data, and we all want to have access to that data.

I am therefore pleased to inform the House that the report of the independent scientific committee on veterans’ health is now available on the Veterans Affairs website.

I invite members of the veteran's affairs committee to have a look at the report and study it carefully.

Health

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives continue to fail to protect the health of Canadians. Now they are allowing general sale of energy shots with 200 milligrams of caffeine each. Two of these shots exceed the adult allowable caffeine dose. The U.S. is investigating deaths linked to energy drinks. Mexico banned the sales for anyone under age 18. The minister's own advisory committee asked her to limit drinks to sales behind the counter in a pharmacy, yet she continues to ignore the advice. Lowering the limit of caffeine slightly is not enough.

Will the minister wake up and do her duty to protect the health of Canadians?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated yesterday, Health Canada has been very clear that caffeinated energy drinks are not recommended for children. Our government announced a new approach to regulating energy drinks and would include limits on the level of caffeine in these products. It also includes improved labelling in order to support the consumers and parents in making informed choices. The new measures will help all Canadians make informed decisions about the amount of caffeine they consume.

International Co-operation

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

Mr. Speaker, when he appeared before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on December 4, 2012, the Minister of International Cooperation was unable to give us an idea of the number of projects he had approved under CIDA's partnerships program. He promised to forward that information to us.

Now it is February, and we are still waiting for his response.

What exactly is going on? Does the minister have something to hide or is the memo containing the information buried under a pile of projects awaiting approval on his desk?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing about burying anything. We are quite open and transparent. All of our projects are online, available for the member to access. If she needs more information, we will be happy to provide it to her.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Rob Clarke, Conservative, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, last month, the federal court ruled with respect to Métis and non-status Indians. As the court stated, this decision is not about “the interpretation or application of particular rights either under the Constitution or under specific agreements, nor is it about aboriginal rights”.

In regard to this litigation, could the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development please update the House on the next steps?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government must ensure that programs and services for aboriginal peoples are fiscally sustainable. We continue to work in partnership to enhance the economic opportunities for Métis and non-status Indians. Given that the federal court decision raises complex issues, it is prudent for Canada to obtain a decision from a higher court. After careful consideration, Canada has filed an appeal and this case is now before the courts.

Employment Insurance

[Pierre Dionne Labelle, NDP, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, eastern Canada is not the only part of the country experiencing the devastating effects of employment insurance reform.

Right here in the parliamentary restaurant, workers will get a taste of the minister's bitter pill. Every summer, employees are laid off from July to September while the House is closed. They will have to find lower-paying jobs within 100 kilometres. If they do not, their benefits will be cut.

The next time the minister goes for lunch, will she call those people bad guys, bad unemployed workers? If I were her, I would keep such thoughts to myself.

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

Mr. Speaker, the NDP is talking nonsense yet again. We will help these people find jobs during the summer so that they can work and earn more money. Will that not be better for them and for their families?

That is why we have enhanced the job alert and job bank system to help them find new jobs. If they want to come back to Parliament to work in the fall, we will welcome them back.

International Trade

[André Bellavance, Bloc, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite the Bloc Québécois motion calling on the government to protect the integrity of supply management, which was adopted unanimously here in the House, Ottawa is about to sacrifice some of the rights of dairy producers in its negotiations with the European Union. The federal government is prepared to allow the duty-free import of thousands of additional tonnes of cheese. This concession is clearly unacceptable.

Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food confirm that this is the case? Why is he refusing to talk to dairy producers at their annual conference? What does he have to hide?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, where is the hon. member's question is coming from? We have been clear in every aspect of the CETA negotiations with the Europe Union. We regularly consult with provinces and industry.

Part of the member's question was about supply management, although he spoke so fast I could not hear it all. However, we certainly defended the supply managed sector.

The reality is that this is a good agreement for Canada and we will negotiate in the best interest of Canadians and only sign a deal that is in our best interest.

Oral Questions

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, after the Prime Minister indicated that the electoral boundary commissions actually seek participation of political parties, members of Parliament and the public in their process, the member for Toronto—Danforth got up and said that the non-partisan commissions expect non-interference from the political parties and that no party with a basic sense of ethics would interfere.

I thought I would check it out. The Prime Minister did refer to certain—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

I am tabling some documents, and I am just explaining the documents. He referred to submissions having been made by members of the NDP. I started on the east coast, and I have here a submission to the boundary commission that I would like to table from the NDP member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl. I have another submission from the NDP member Mr. Jack Harris. I apologize. I meant the member for St. John's East—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. There is so much noise, I do not know what members are complaining about. The minister knows he cannot use names. He needs to refer to ridings or titles.

I assume the minister is seeking to table some documents. It is very tough to hear.

Are they in both official languages?

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

They are in both official languages. In the second document I was submitting I inadvertently read the MP's name. He is the NDP MP for St. John's East. I apologize for reading his name in the House.

This is also a submission respecting boundaries. I have only started on the east coast. I have only done Newfoundland, but so far 100% of the NDP MPs have tabled such submissions on the boundary process.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, to the alleged point of order, these submissions were made by members of Parliament, not by political parties.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, 10 reports of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union respecting its participation at the following activities: the 261st session of the IPU Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, from September 8 and 9, 2011; the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Twelve Plus Group in Paris, France, September 12, 2011; the annual parliamentary hearing at the United Nations in New York, United States of America, November 28 and 29, 2011; the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, United States of America, February 29, 2011; the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Twelve Plus Group in Paris, France, March 5, 2012; the 264th session of the IPU Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, August 29 and 30, 2012; the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Twelve Plus Group in Paris, France, September 17, 2012; the 127th IPU assembly and related meetings in Québec City, Canada, October 21 to 26, 2012; the Annual 2012 session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, Back to basics: Connecting politics and trade, in Geneva, Switzerland, November 15 and 16, 2012; and the annual parliamentary hearing at the United Nations, New York, United States of America, December 6 and 7, 2012.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation to the fourth part of the 2012 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and mission to Dublin, Ireland, which is the next president of the Council of the European Union, held in Dublin, Ireland and Strasbourg, France from October 1 to 10, 2012.