Debates of Feb. 8th, 2013

Aerospace Industry

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at a time when astronaut Chris Hadfield is inspiring all Canadians as he serves on the international space station, the Conservatives are abandoning the 700 employees of the Canadian Space Agency.

The agency is in financial difficulty, but the Conservatives could not care less. The president resigned last week, frustrated that his projects were going nowhere.

What will the Conservatives do to keep the agency's employees and their expertise in Canada? Will they leave Commander Hadfield up in the air?

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

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth.

If my colleague paid more attention to this file, she would know that, a few weeks ago, we announced Canada's participation in the very important and cutting-edge RADARSAT Constellation mission. We are world leaders in satellite technology.

We are very proud of Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut to command the international space station.

By the way, Canada's participation in the international space station program until 2020 was announced in the 2012 economic action plan. Thanks to our plan, we have commanders like Chris Hadfield, whom we are very proud of.

Tourism Industry

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for years the tourism industry has been concerned about the constant decline in spending by international visitors to Canada. This reduction in spending runs counter to the international trend of 4% growth in 2012 alone.

We wonder why Canada is not benefiting from this trend, except when we consider the Conservatives' actions and see that the Canadian Tourism Commission has been underfunded for years. In fact, the Conservatives constantly cut its budget, contrary to what all of Canada's major competitors in the world are doing.

What measures will the Conservatives adopt in the next budget to correct this situation?

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

Mr. Speaker, that view is quite pessimistic because Canada is highly competitive in tourism. That is why our government has launched the federal tourism strategy.

I would remind my colleague that we are on the right track. Tourism-related spending has increased in Canada over the past 13 consecutive quarters despite the economic slowdown.

Increasing numbers of jobs are being created in the tourism sector, and we are welcoming increasing numbers of tourists from China, India and Brazil, which shows that the tourism industry is doing well.

We will be continuing on that path.

Public Safety

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government has consistently taken steps to ensure our correctional system actually corrects criminal behaviour while respecting taxpayers' dollars. Radical left-wing special interests have complained that our government is treating criminals inhumanely by using the common practice of double-bunking.

Could the parliamentary secretary update the House on our government's position on double-bunking?

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

Mr. Speaker, that member is absolutely correct. Double-bunking is a completely normal practice used by many western countries.

Corrections Canada, last year, completed a study that showed that the rates of double-bunking were not connected to the rates of violence. The fact of the matter is, contrary to the suggestion of the member for Burnaby—New Westminster that prison populations would explode, the increases have actually been less than a quarter of what CSC predicted.

Not only is the NDP soft on crime, it is absolutely soft on facts.

Ethics

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the minister from Labrador is still under a cloud of serious election violations but he is doing nothing to help himself. Instead of coming clean and opening his books, he is helping to cover up more Conservative election fraud. He has given a high-paying job to Chris Crawford, the former CIMS database manager.

If the minister from Labrador still knows how to speak, could he get up and explain why he hired Mr. Crawford in his office in the first place, and what Mr. Crawford knows about Pierre Poutine's attack on voters?

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

Mr. Speaker, another day, another false allegation, another conspiracy theory.

It reminds me of that old television show, Unsolved Mysteries. Let me solve a few for the member. Who was Lennay Kekua? Fake. Beyoncé at the inauguration? Lip sync. Where is Jimmy Hoffa? Probably in the NDP caucus. Who made the illegal robocalls? The Liberal member for Guelph.

Case closed. Mystery solved.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one of my fellow citizens requested a tax form from the Canada Revenue Agency but was told to pick it up at her post office. However, it is the agency's responsibility to send out those forms. What is worse, there were none at her post office. Several attempts were made to reach the distribution centre, but without success.

When will the Conservatives realize that their cuts to public services are making life hard for people who simply want to file their income tax returns?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the way that Canadians file their taxes is changing, and we are also changing to meet those needs. CRA encourages Canadians to file online, and a growing number of Canadians are taking advantage of that safe and secure option. Taxpayers can still file on paper, and tax forms remain available on request or at a local post office.

Again, last year roughly 1.3 million packages that were mailed out were never used. I certainly think everyone can appreciate that we should not be spending money in that way.

Foreign Affairs

[John Carmichael, Conservative, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is continuously reviewing our network of diplomatic missions abroad to ensure taxpayer dollars are respected.

Canada House on Trafalgar Square in London is an historic heritage site and home to our High Commission. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the status of this mission?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for the question and for the good work he does in the Canada-U.K. Interparliamentary Association.

Canadians who have visited London may know that our High Commission enjoys a place of privilege in Canada House on Trafalgar Square. What many people may not realize is that our mission is currently split between Canada House and another aging building miles away.

We will be expanding Canada House, taking over the building immediately adjacent and consolidating the High Commission's operations in one spot. This will save taxpayers money and will provide better service to Canadians. This exciting project will improve our operations in one of the world's greatest cities.

Public Works and Government Services

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on June 15, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the City of Halifax in its dispute with the Government of Canada concerning the federal government's chronic undervaluation of historic sites. This ruling will have significant implications for municipal finances.

For example, Public Works and Government Services Canada valued Fort Chambly at five time less than the municipality did. That is a loss of $500,000 in property tax revenues for the City of Chambly.

When will the Conservatives comply with this ruling and give municipalities their fair share?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.

Public Works and Government Services Canada provides services to all Canadian taxpayers at the best value for money. I will be pleased to answer his question next week.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development will be travelling around to talk about the upcoming budget. If the economy is truly her priority, as the government claims it is, I hope that she will listen to employers in all regions who condemn the harmful effects of her employment insurance reform.

Guillaume Gagnon, a businessman in Sainte-Flavie, said, “The reform will compromise all of our efforts and may even put the brakes on our future investments.”

Rather than plow ahead with measures that are bad for regional economies and our business people, will the minister do the right thing and cancel her employment insurance reform?

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

Mr. Speaker, what will help business people and the regions is having the skills and the people they need. Our changes to employment insurance will make more information available to unemployed workers about suitable job openings in their regions. We will help them find available jobs. That is better for unemployed workers, employers and the regions.

International Co-operation

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers do not identify with Canada's international development assistance priorities.

The federal government is abandoning francophone countries with which Quebec has a special relationship. The government is helping the countries that it sees as markets instead of the countries with the most vulnerable populations.

In response to this, Quebec has decided it wants to create its own development assistance agency. Since there is no constitutional provision preventing Quebec from funding humanitarian aid organizations itself, is the government open to giving Quebec its share of the CIDA envelope?

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal government will continue to provide international assistance on behalf of all Canadians.

All Canadians, including Quebecers, have consistently donated generously to causes they believe in and to help those less fortunate.

Under our government, Canada's aid investments are achieving results in food security, in maternal and child health, and in education. Canada will continue to assist those most vulnerable.

House of Commons Journals No. 48

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a copy of the House of Commons Journals No. 48 from the first session of the 35th Parliament dated April 13, 1994.

Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-54, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the National Defence Act (mental disorder).

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

The Environment

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition that calls upon the House of Commons to protect the water and public health of our rural communities by supporting my motion. The petitioners come from Alberta and B.C., and I am very glad to have their support. We need some measures to help rural communities where there are septic systems polluting our environment and people cannot bring them up to standard. I am very glad to introduce this petition today.

Human Trafficking

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present 30 signatures from the constituents in my riding in support of Bill C-452, an act to amend the Criminal Code, which aims to fight sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.