Debates of Feb. 7th, 2013

Electoral Boundaries

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives want us to believe that these calls were routine, but they were not. It was a push poll from a front company in an effort to manipulate and deceive. Conservatives knew that this was wrong, and that is why they denied involvement for five days, until they were caught and they had to confess. That is why they did these calls anonymously.

Will the government now stand up for the integrity of the commission and urge the Conservative Party to end its deceptive practices?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, that is an interesting question coming from the NDP. Allow me to quote the Quebec caucus chair, a member of the NDP caucus, when he was asked about anonymous robocalls that were made to a formerly NDP-held riding: “This is not our way of doing things so I would be extremely surprised if it came from us”.

It was a categorical denial, but only days later, the party spokeswoman admitted that the NDP made the calls, said that she thought they were legal and that they promised to use more of them, including to raise funds. That is the NDP record on robocalls.

Infrastructure

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of Finance is warning Canadians his next budget will be yet another disappointment, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canada West Foundation are calling for a new long-term infrastructure funding deal. Because the current deal expires in just 14 months, there is uncertainty around proceeding with planning for municipalities.

Will the finance minister acknowledge the seriousness of this issue and commit to a long-term infrastructure deal in budget 2013?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to say how proud I am of this government for all of the budgets it put forward in the economic action plan. It has led to over 900,000 net new jobs created, and we are going to continue in that vein with budget 2013. But I have to tell my Liberal colleagues that they are just going to have to wait, because we are not going to speculate on what is going to be in the budget. A few more sleeps and they will know exactly what is in it.

Employment Insurance

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents thousands of small businesses across the country, has called the payroll tax increases a regressive, job-killing policy. Let us be very clear about this. If the government raises payroll taxes, many Canadians working in small business will clearly lose their jobs. That is what I said: lose their job, not find one.

Why is it that the Conservative government is insisting on this job-killing payroll tax at a time of economic hardship, which is clearly going to put more Canadians out of work?

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

Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to taxpayers that we would keep the EI account in balance, unlike the Liberals, who raided it for almost $60 billion for their own purposes.

We created a new structure so that EI premiums would not rise dramatically. In fact, we have limited the increases to 5¢ per year until the account does come into balance. That is so we can protect Canadians' jobs.

The Environment

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of the Environment confirmed that the government did not require companies engaged in hydraulic fracturing to be transparent. These companies are not required to inform the public about some 800 chemicals that they may inject into the ground, chemicals that may contaminate our drinking water.

How can the government regulate products when it cannot confirm their use, and how can it manage the risks associated with toxic products when it does not even know the quantity used for shale gas development?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, hydraulic fracking is an area of primarily provincial jurisdiction. However, I absolutely love it when a Liberal member gets up to ask about environmental policy, because it allows me to talk about their record: a 30% increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Under our government, we have seen a stabilization while the economy grew.

The Liberals signed on to the Kyoto protocol, which included a small minority of global emitters. We are committed to an international agreement that has all major emitters. While they saw a carbon tax, we have a sector-by-sector regulatory approach that is getting the job done.

I am so glad our government has this file.

International Trade

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, negotiators from the EU are in Ottawa again this week to discuss trade with Canada. New Democrats believe we should broaden and deepen our trade ties with Europe, because Europe is an ideal partner. It is a modern, dynamic economy with high standards and respect for the rule of law. However, Canadians do not just want any deal they can get. Canadians want a good deal.

Will the Conservatives commit to this House that the interests of farmers, our seniors and our local municipalities will not be sacrificed at the negotiating table?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I know the NDP members are trying to shift all over the spectrum these days, but they are not going to fool anyone with that one.

The fact of the matter is that this is a party that is so ideologically opposed to trade, its foreign affairs critic actually already called for Canada to pull out of the talks some time ago. We would not even be discussing this with the European Union if the NDP had its way. It is very consistent, since it opposed trade with NAFTA, every other trade deal we have had, and even the Auto Pact.

The only people who pursue responsible trade are on this side of the aisle.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the only people being fooled are those who believe that the Conservatives are good, competent negotiators in trade.

These are important talks, but the Conservatives have refused to conduct them in an open and accountable manner. They refuse to give information to Canadian taxpayers or brief this Parliament. Canadians had to find out from European negotiators that the Conservatives are considering concessions that would limit local economic development.

Can the government assure Canadians that CETA will protect Canadian communities' rights to invest in local initiatives to create jobs in our communities?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the trade deals this country has are basic to its economic prosperity. The free trade deal signed by an historic Conservative government with the United States is the basis of a lot of the prosperity we have today.

We will never let the ideologues on that side of the House tear that up or the Auto Pact or anything else they want to tear up. We will make sure we have good and diverse trade throughout this country.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me help the Prime Minister. As an auto worker for 32 years, there is no Auto Pact, and it was not this side that tore it up.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Welland has the floor.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian farmers are becoming increasingly concerned about the contents of leaked reports from the EU trade negotiations. The idea of pitting one sector of Canadian agriculture against another is a worrisome development, especially so if these negotiations are intended to be a clear precedent for further trade negotiations in the agriculture sector.

Could the Minister of Agriculture guarantee all farmers that their livelihoods will not be used as a bargaining chip and he will not leave them out in the cold?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about the record.

The integrated Canadian-American auto sector that we have today, which is so fundamental to the prosperity of southern Ontario, was opposed tooth and nail by the New Democratic Party in the 1960s, as it has opposed every trade initiative since because of its socialist ideology. The fact is that we see that party once again opposing a trade deal with the European Union before one is even signed.

We will protect and promote the economic development—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not reassuring. Supply management is not negotiable because it is essential to the survival—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé has the floor.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, supply management is not negotiable because it is essential to the survival of many communities. In Quebec, agriculture is one of the main economic engines of rural communities. People living in the regions rely on these farms to support suppliers and local industries, including the cheese industry.

Consulting these communities must be part of the fundamentals related to the signing of a trade agreement with the European Union.

What protections did the Minister of Agriculture get for these industries?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is well known that we protect supply management. It is protected in all our trade negotiations.

By contrast, the NDP forgot to mention supply management in its election platform. We are well aware that the NDP continues to oppose the free trade agreement with the United States. That position is completely at odds with the position taken by every provincial party, by every party in Quebec at the time.

Justice

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, restoring the confidence of Canadians in our criminal justice system has been, and continues to be, an ongoing priority for this government.

Since being first elected in 2006, we have passed over 30 measures aimed at keeping our streets and our communities safe. These include ending early parole for murderers, tougher penalties on impaired driving, raising the age of consent and eliminating the use of house arrest for serious crimes such as sexual assault and kidnapping.

Could the Minister of Justice please update the House on what is next for our government on our justice agenda?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that we will take action to reform the Criminal Code provisions related to high-risk individuals found not criminally responsible. Canadians and victims have expressed concerns that violent individuals could be released back into the community, so we will take action to ensure that public safety comes first.

The member is correct. We have passed many justice measures, including tougher penalties for gun crimes, auto theft, white collar crime and serious drug offences. I hope that for once we can count on the support of the opposition parties in our efforts to stand up for victims and law-abiding Canadians.