Debates of March 25th, 2013

Aboriginal Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2008 the Conservatives promised reconciliation. Today, hundreds of young indigenous walkers are on Parliament Hill to remind us of that promise. However, instead of welcoming them, the Prime Minister chose to greet two pandas that were FedExed from China. Instead of listening, the Conservative budget showed more of the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Churchill has the floor.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

It just shows their priorities, Mr. Speaker. Instead of listening, the government showed more paternalistic attitudes toward first nations youth, imposing a punitive workfare program. What is needed is effective skills training and an investment in education.

What will it take? How many more kilometres need to be walked before the Conservative government listens to first nations people?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, first, we recognize and acknowledge the determination of these young aboriginal walkers and we commend them for their commitment to addressing first nation issues. In fact, contrary to what the hon. member seems to indicate, I shall be meeting later today with the walkers to discuss with these aboriginal youth about the challenges and also how we can best continue to improve the situation for all aboriginals in Canada.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, standing outside the House today, while we try to get answers inside, are young people who have walked over 1,600 kilometres through the harshest months of winter to be here today. Over the course of their journey from Whapmagoostui, they have been joined by hundreds and inspired thousands of others with their call for unity, their call for respect and their call for change.

Will the minister heed their call and start showing Canada's aboriginal peoples the respect they deserve?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, he ought to listen. I just said that we recognized the determination of these young aboriginal youth. In fact, I will be meeting with them later today to discuss their concerns and to discuss possible solutions that we can envision in the future.

We are building opportunities and jobs and creating economic opportunities for our first nations all across Canada. I just came from western Canada where progress is being accomplished and we shall continue in that vein.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, adopting paternalistic measures is no way to make progress with the first nations.

If the Conservatives had done enough for aboriginal youth, then they would not have needed to snowshoe and walk 1,600 km.

[Member spoke in Cree.]

I just thanked them for their courage and determination. The Conservatives do not seem to get the point. The time of broken promises and paternalism is over.

When will the Conservatives take the issues raised by these young people, including the environmental issues, seriously?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, despite the hon. member's fine words, the fact remains that there is great potential for first nations in forestry and mining and in the skills in which we want to invest so that young aboriginals across the country can participate in the economy. However, when we try to do just that, the NDP goes to Washington to say that the mines and forests are a disease.

If they truly want to improve things for first nations in Canada, then they should get on board with the government's proposals to move forward.

Small Business

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while the socialist NDP would punish small businesses with new carbon and business tax hikes, our government recognizes the vital role small businesses play in the economy.

Since 2006, our government has taken significant steps to support the growth of small businesses, such as reducing the small business tax rate from 12% to 11%, increasing the small business limit to $500,000 and much more.

Could the Minister of State for Finance please tell the House how economic action plan 2013 builds on our record of helping small businesses?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed to hear that the NDP will actually vote against small business and vote against the measures to help small business in budget 2013, measures such as extending and expanding the hiring credit for small businesses.

The NDP will also vote against increasing the capital gains tax exemption from $750,000, the lifetime capital gains tax exemption for small business, up to $800,000, and which will then be indexed. The NDP is going to vote against that too.

Regional Development

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week's budget all but ignores northern Ontario. The facts are in the finance department's own numbers.

While the southern Ontario development agency got some new funding, northern Ontario once again got snubbed by the Conservatives.

When will the government stop playing favourites, recognize the distinct economic challenges faced by our communities and ensure equitable funding and fair treatment for northern Ontario? Why is the government abandoning our region?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member should know, if he had read the budget, the budget specifically announced $4.4 million to help capacity building in and around the Ring of Fire mining project that will help first nations, that will help communities prepare for this bonanza of economic opportunity in northern Ontario.

What does the member's leader do? He goes to Washington and talks down the Canadian economy. Shame on all those members.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is right. There is no new money and a 10% cut.

Yes, the NDP's call for FedNor to become an independent agency has been answered, but the money is not on the table.

There is a significant infrastructure deficit in northern communities. Flooding has caused major damage in Wawa, roads and water mains need to be repaired in many municipalities, and there is a shortage of cell phone towers and high-speed Internet everywhere.

The budget does not provide solutions for our rural communities.

Why have the Conservatives again ignored the needs of communities in northern Ontario?

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

Mr. Speaker, FedNor has a proven track record investing in northern Ontario communities. Whether it comes to Internet broadband, whether it comes to new jobs and new opportunities for our young people, whether it comes to tourism, whether it comes to, as I mentioned, resource development, that track record has been before the House. Every time, the party on the other side of the House voted against that and voted against the interests of northern Ontario.

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we will always vote against Conservative budgets that do not get the job done for northern Ontario.

We have a shortage of workers in the mining sector to the tune of 100,000, yet the Conservatives have no plan for reversing this trend. They are actually making it harder for mining sectors to survive by killing the accelerated capital cost allowance, despite extending this allowance to the manufacturing sector.

Why are they excluding northern Ontario from their economic recovery plan?

[David Anderson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board]

Mr. Speaker, 20% of Canadians rely upon natural resources from the economy. Hundreds of billions of dollars of investment are going to be committed to natural resources over the next 10 years. We hear about $650 billion.

Unfortunately, the NDP can see no good in any of this. It does not support resource workers. It does not support resource families. It does not resource communities. What is it going to take for the NDP to get up and actually defend those communities instead of standing in the House pretending it does when it is actually more interested in going to Washington and speaking against them?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it looks like, in these austere times, the New Democrats will have to pitch in and buy the Conservatives a map of northern Ontario because the only allusion to our region in the budget is in a section called “Helping Southern Ontario Prosper”.

The Conservatives closed the experimental lakes. They abandoned their promise—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay has the floor.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will give the Conservatives a map to show them where northern Ontario is because they obviously need some help. They abandoned the experimental lakes. They walked on the James Bay Port Authority. They have left the NAN police without the support they need.

What is with the Conservative backbenchers from northern Ontario? Why have they been missing in action? Do they need a map as well?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will put our northern Ontario caucus against the NDP's northern Ontario caucus any day of the week.

We are there for northern Ontarians. We are there for more jobs and opportunity. We are there for more natural resource development. We are there to help our first nations. We are there to help our young people. We have been there since day one.

Those members' leader goes to Washington, talks down the Canadian economy, talks down our resource sector. That is their record, and they will pay for it.

Government Advertising

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

Mr. Speaker, more than half of Canadians surveyed have reacted negatively to the government's non-stop economic action plan advertising, calling the ads, in turn, “political”, “a waste of taxpayers' money” and even “junk”.

When will the government free Canadians from its wasteful campaign of self-promotion and, instead, use the money, for example, to appoint a deputy corrections commissioner for aboriginal inmates, as recommended by the Correctional Investigator, Howard Sapers?

When will the government stop channelling public funds into Conservative propaganda and, instead, use this money to make our communities safer?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, our advertising budget has declined by 46% since 2009-10. We are being responsible with taxpayer money, despite the fact that we have an obligation to communicate with Canadians.

The last full year of the Liberal government, it had an advertising budget more than $20 million higher than our budget for the same purposes. The hon. member should think before he asks those kinds of questions.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, I was honoured to be on Victoria Island to welcome the Cree youth who have walked here from their James Bay community, with a message of hope, unity and respect.

On Victoria Island, people from all over Canada were asking one question. Why did the Prime Minister choose to meet two pandas on a pampered flight instead of meeting with these courageous young people who walked 1,600 miles to be heard by their Prime Minister ?