House of Commons Hansard #206 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pbo.
Anne-Marie Day NDP Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning, we learned that the Minister of Human Resources set a $430 million employment insurance reduction quota across the country. That quota is $120 million in Quebec alone. In 2009, the government cut $200 million across the country.
Why did this amount double? It is because there are quotas and the minister thinks honest job seekers are criminals. The minister's reform is punishing people who are looking for work. When will she reverse her decision?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, that is completely untrue. Employment insurance is there for people who are entitled to benefits. Unfortunately, there are some cheaters in the system. Last year, Service Canada had to stop close to half a billion dollars in ineligible payments.
Stealing from unemployed workers is serious. That is why we must safeguard the integrity of our employment insurance system.
Philip Toone NDP Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC
Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of that answer.
When we discovered that the minister was imposing quotas, she defended herself by calling unemployed workers bad guys. The employment insurance reduction quotas are higher in Quebec than anywhere else in the country. She needs to stop telling us that this reform is good for workers. That is not true. This reform abandons the regions and shows that the government does not understand the reality of seasonal workers.
Can the minister explain to my constituents why they are being held in such contempt?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, we are doing more to help unemployed workers find jobs. That is the best thing we can do for them. Unfortunately, Service Canada had to stop close to a billion dollars in ineligible payments last year. What is more, hundreds of millions of dollars are connected to fraud.
That is unacceptable. Stealing from unemployed workers is serious. That is why we must safeguard the integrity of the system.
Mike Sullivan NDP York South—Weston, ON
Mr. Speaker, the truth is EI is not there when Canadians need it.
The system is in such a mess, people cannot even find a Service Canada location. According to the website, the closest one to my office is at 605 Rogers Road, but Service Canada closed that one last October. Do not try the office at Attwell Drive, the website says that it is open Thursday mornings, but that has not been the case in over a month. It is ridiculous.
How can we trust Conservatives to manage EI when they cannot even manage a website?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have a number of ways to find out information about EI. They can what we say “click, call or connect”. They can go onto the website and ask questions there. They can call 1-800-O-Canada. Over 90% of the Canadian population does live within 15 kilometre of one of our 600 Service Canada outlets across the country.
We are there to help Canadians access the benefits to which they are entitled, and we will continue to do there.
Jonathan Tremblay NDP Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, if the minister does not want to listen to the NDP or the tens of thousands of people protesting out east, maybe she will listen to her own party.
Michel-Éric Castonguay, a Conservative Party candidate who lost in my riding during the last election, has said that he does not understand why the Conservatives are insisting on pushing this reform. He said that the minister is punishing the unemployed and that the regions will suffer. Better yet, he criticized the minister's sugar coating of the situation. He said, “We have to call a spade a spade. For goodness' sake, quotas are quotas.”
Why are the Conservatives abandoning the regions?
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member said is not entirely accurate.
I would like to quote part of an article by Alain Dubuc from La Presse. He said:
If there are no jobs available in a region, nothing changes. If there are jobs, the unemployed worker may be required to accept a position. But the end result would be a bigger paycheque than the EI cheque, and therefore a higher annual income.
We want to help unemployed workers earn more money when they work.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, this is International Development Week, a time when Canadians reflect on our values and ways we can help others around the world.
Let us flush out the values of the Conservatives. They use aid money on high-end hotels, limos and freshly squeezed orange juice. Meanwhile they have cut $380 million in aid dollars. They have stopped partnerships with NGOs like Development and Peace and KAIROS. They have silenced CIDA staff. They have dropped aid for the poorest countries in Africa.
When will the government take our international obligations to developing countries seriously?
Julian Fantino ConservativeMinister of International Cooperation
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian public can take great solace and be very proud of the hard-earned dollars that are achieving great results. Canada's investments are providing food, health and emergency humanitarian assistance to those who need it the most.
We will continue to ensure Canadian tax dollars are spent in ways that achieve the best possible results. Canadians deserve no less and we are doing exactly that.
Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development refuses to come to the HR committee and testify about the largest privacy breach in Canadian history.
Let me share a quote, “I am a minister. I am here to take personal responsibility. Ministerial responsibility is one of the essences of our Parliamentary democracy”. That is a quote from her seatmate.
There are 600,000 Canadians who are concerned about this breach. Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs talk to his seatmate, have her come to committee and explain how this ever occurred and the measures she is taking?
Human Resources and Skills Development CanadaOral Questions
Haldimand—Norfolk Ontario
Conservative
Diane Finley ConservativeMinister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Speaker, I cannot say this often enough because it is so very true. The loss of information in the department was totally and completely unacceptable, mainly because it was avoidable.
The government does support calling departmental officials to explain how this happened and what steps they have taken and will be taking to ensure that nothing like this happens again.
Glenn Thibeault NDP Sudbury, ON
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives continue to ignore skyrocketing credit card merchant fees that hurt the bottom line of small businesses in our communities. Canadian merchants already pay among the highest merchant fees in the world that tally up to a whopping $5 billion a year. With these fees set to increase again April 1, the minister continues to promote a voluntary code that was supposed stop these types of fees.
Will the Conservatives continue to defend a toothless code of conduct that is not working, or will they finally step in and put a stop to this excessive cash grab?
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate, not just for my colleague, but for everyone in the House exactly what the Federation of Independent Business said about that code and about what we have done as a government. It said:
—the Code...has served merchants extremely well....[it] has done an excellent job in ensuring some fair ground rules and maintaining Canada's low-cost debit system
I follow that up with another quote:
—the Code played a big role in saving low-cost debit in Canada and it gave merchants some degree of power in dealing with the payments industry.
We continue to support our low tax plan and our job creation plan. Unfortunately, those members do not support that.
François Lapointe NDP Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about debit cards; we are talking about excessive transaction fees for credit cards. It is not complicated.
The voluntary code of conduct simply does not work. And retailers across the country are paying the price.
In Quebec, grocers, retailers and hotel, convenience-store and service-station owners have all confirmed that the transaction fees for credit cards are excessive and constantly increasing.
They have all concluded that we need strict, effective regulations.
Why does the minister refuse to bring in rules to protect small businesses from having their small profit margins cut by the excessive fees imposed by credit card companies?
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, consumers and industry groups—especially small businesses—welcomed the code.
We are constantly monitoring to ensure that the rules are being followed. We have the power to make the code mandatory, but the NDP always votes against this kind of thing.
The Commissioner of Competition has asked the Competition Tribunal to examine some of the rules. We are encouraged to see that this issue is being examined.
Blake Richards Conservative Wild Rose, AB
Mr. Speaker, while the NDP talks down Canada's economy, our Conservative government has a low tax plan for jobs and growth. Our plan has kept more money in the pockets of families and Canadian businesses to create jobs. While the NDP may not like it, lower taxes, and not costly new carbon taxes, help create jobs for Canadians and promote economic growth.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance please inform the House what Canada's manufacturers think of our low tax plan?
Shelly Glover ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Wild Rose for his endless support of our low tax plan.
Before it calls again for more job-killing taxes, I ask the NDP to listen to what the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has to say about our low tax plan, especially when it comes to job creation. It says:
Lower business tax rates have played an important role in supporting Canada's economic recovery, creating jobs and spurring investment....If federal tax rates had not been reduced, Canada's unemployment rate would have exceeded nine per cent...during the recession. Today, our unemployment rate would be higher than that of the United States...
We will not take any advice from the NDP on this one.
Scott Andrews Liberal Avalon, NL
Mr. Speaker, this week the Conservatives were caught making deceptive robocalls in Saskatchewan, using the same company as Pierre Poutine. In Guelph, the phone numbers targeted came from the same Conservative database.
Interestingly, the manager of that CIMS database in Guelph, Chris Crawford, also reportedly rigged a Conservative nomination meeting in favour of the wife of Fred DeLorey, yes, the same Fred DeLorey who admitted he misled reporters about the calls in Saskatchewan.
Why has Mr. Crawford been given a huge, taxpayer-funded promotion to work for the ethically challenged minister from Labrador?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I do not know where to start with that latest Liberal laundry list of conspiracy theories.
Let me solve the most obvious conspiracy theory of all. Who do we know made illegal robocalls? The Liberal member for Guelph.
Sylvain Chicoine NDP Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government tabled its report on depleted uranium. The report shocked former soldier Pascal Lacoste, who staged a hunger strike so that the government would recognize that he and his fellow veterans were poisoned by depleted uranium while on tour in Bosnia. Yesterday, he asked the minister if he would have the right to medical care.
But, as usual, the minister did not know what to say. Now that he has had time to think about it, can the minister tell us today if Pascal Lacoste and his fellow veterans will have the right to medical care?
Eve Adams ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the member put aside his political opinions when talking about the health and safety of our soldiers and veterans.
In 2010 our government called upon an independent scientific body to be struck. That body has committed more than 1,500 volunteer hours and has just produced a report. I would like to thank Dr. Morisset for that report.
That report was posted on the Veterans Affairs website. I tabled it earlier today here in the House of Commons. The parliamentary committee can review that report.
This is not a matter for political interference. This is scientific evidence.
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Mr. Speaker, let the countdown begin. Today marks one year to go until the kickoff of the 2014 Sochi winter games, and my city of London will be well represented.
Our government is the single largest contributor to sport in the country, which provides opportunities for all Canadians to benefit from a healthy, active lifestyle.
With that said, let me ask the Minister of State for Sport if he could update the House on how, partly thanks to our investments, Canada is excelling in sport from the grassroots to the world stage.
SportOral Questions
Bal Gosal Minister of State (Sport), CPC
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the leadership of our Prime Minister, I am confident our athletes will make Canadians proud at the Sochi 2014 winter games.
In 2013, Canadians have much to celebrate already. Last Friday the Minister of Industry and I were happy to light the 2013 Canada Summer Games torch before it makes its way to Sherbrooke, Quebec. I am proud to say our Special Olympians set a new record, winning 44 gold, 44 silver and 21 bronze medals at the World Winter Games. Those are the results of which we are proud.
Annick Papillon NDP Québec, QC
Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are doing nothing to protect Canadian consumers, another large corporation has decided to start charging additional fees for paper billing. Now you have to pay in order to pay. Rogers just informed its customers that they will be charged $2 for every paper bill if they do not switch to online billing. Contrary to what the government says, the broadband program will in no way change anything for low-income individuals or for seniors.
When will this government really protect consumers?