Debates of March 28th, 2013

Health

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government is well aware of the health hazards created by the coal-fired electricity generating sector. The regulations that we brought in last year significantly reduced not only greenhouse gases but other toxins. They help us to meet our 2020 Copenhagen emission reduction target, and we are also working with the provinces on a new reduction of industrial emissions through the air quality standards agreement reached with the provinces last November.

Telecommunications

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, with Wind Mobile up for sale and Shaw selling its spectrum to Rogers, we will be seeing less competition in the cellphone sector. The Minister of Industry's only response is to beg continually for more foreign investment, but the rules he has created do not help. The minister had a chance to increase competition and expand rural coverage through this fall's spectrum auction, but he failed to do so.

Why should Canadians have to pay higher cellphone bills because of his incompetence?

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)]

Mr. Speaker, wireless services are changing our families, our work and our economy. We are very proud of that . Our government has worked very hard to increase competition in the Canadian wireless sector to improve the choices and reduce prices for Canadian families, something the Liberals are obviously much against.

Canadian families work hard for their money. Our government is ensuring that they have access to the wireless services that they need for their families and their businesses.

Library and Archives Canada

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, my question concerns Library and Archives Canada.

After essentially cutting it to the bone last year, a lot of the soul of Library and Archives Canada is now absent. In the wake of that, there were protests. In the wake of that, we had a code of conduct put on members of Library and Archives Canada.

The Canadian Library Association calls it infringing “unnecessarily on the personal activities and opinions of public servants beyond the workplace”. It also refers to “duty of loyalty” to the duly elected government.

Will the minister please go to LAC and say “Look, you cannot do this. It is a ridiculous thing to do. You cannot silence the—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, as I have said before, the code of conduct that was put in place was put in place by Daniel Caron, the president of Library and Archives, with no consultation with me.

If my hon. colleague has questions about that, he might want to bring him before the committee. Among the questions he might ask Daniel Caron is whether or not he agrees with this process, because it was in fact in 2004 under Bill C-11 that the Liberals mandated that crown corporations have these codes of conduct.

If he does not agree with the idea of these codes of conduct, perhaps he might take an opportunity to invite some former Liberal cabinet ministers before the committee to condemn them for suggesting this very policy.

Human Rights

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier in question period we gave the Minister of Justice not one but two opportunities to apologize for his government's funding of a private university with homophobic, explicitly homophobic, hiring policies.

Again we offer the government the chance to condemn this reprehensible use of public funds to support an institution with archaic and outdated practices.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to give the NDP another opportunity.

I will tell it in this House what I have already told it. We introduced Bill C-32, the bill that was introduced originally by the Liberals in this area. We are correcting the mistakes that were made in that, mistakes that were supported by the NDP at the time.

I said this to the NDP, and I will say it publicly. If it is sincere about moving forward on this, let us get this bill passed at all stages. Why does the member not do that? Why does he not stand up and support that? Let us do it.

Gasoline Prices

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, gas prices have gone up a whopping 39% under the government's watch, but it still refuses to crack down on collusion and price gouging.

For years, we have been calling for an independent ombudsman to finally put an end to these ripoffs, but the Conservatives have done nothing. Canadians keep getting ripped off at the pumps, especially on long weekends.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to act? Why are they opposed to an ombudsman or regulations that would finally protect Canadians from price fixing?

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology) (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)]

Mr. Speaker, our government has helped Canadians keep more of their hard-earned tax dollars.

We have reduced the GST from 7% to 6% to 5%. The opposition voted against that. We strengthened the powers of the Competition Bureau and brought in the Fairness at the Pumps Act.

When Competition Bureau officials find evidence of behaviour that violates the act, they themselves do not hesitate to bring in law enforcement.

The NDP, on the other hand, is trying to bring in a $21 billion carbon tax.

Official Languages

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a bilingual country, and our government is determined to ensure that Canadians can communicate with the federal government in the official language of their choice.

Our government's road map for linguistic duality in 2008 produced real results for our official language communities, a mari usque ad mare.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages tell the House how our government is continuing to offer daily support, both today and for the future?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. He is a true champion of official languages in Canada.

Today I was very pleased to put forward our government's five-year road map for Canada's linguistic duality. Five years of commitment by this government have resulted in real results for Canada's official languages community.

As Graham Fraser, the Commissioner of Official Languages, said, the road map is getting results for Canadians.

Marie-France Kenny, head of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, thanked the Government of Canada for defending the interests of francophone and Acadian Canadians.

Our road map is about educating young Canadians on the value of Canada's official languages, supporting new Canadians and building—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for St. Paul's.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, appallingly, only one-third of aboriginal youth are finishing high school. Students attending schools on reserve are funded at an average of two-thirds of the rate in the provincial systems. This week we learned that in Saskatchewan, it is often only half.

In a modern economy, access to jobs and even skills training requires math and reading skills. Will the minister stop denying the gap, finally close the gap or continue to exclude aboriginal youth from Canada's economy?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is surprising to hear such a statement when the member will not even support the budget that is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to provide those aboriginal Canadians with the skills they need.

The fact of the matter is, first of all, that the premise of her question is totally false. We invest in the education of aboriginal students at an amount equivalent to what the provinces do. However, that is not the issue. We are consulting right now with first nation stakeholders and Canadians on providing them with a legislative framework for an education system that would produce results. The Liberals should support it.

Employment

[Jean-François Larose, NDP, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 2013 is a very difficult year for my riding of Repentigny. Two thousand jobs have been lost because Mabe and Electrolux have closed down. This is having a negative impact on families. Some people have even tried to commit suicide.

For years now, people have been working very hard to find solutions to help workers. Easter is approaching; it is a time for families.

Is the Minister of Human Resources finally ready to sit down with us and discuss how we can help these workers?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has informed me that she has discussed this matter with the member. She has directed Service Canada to work with the employer in the local community to provide what support they can. Information sessions have been scheduled to provide details, benefits, programs and support services for the constituents in this riding. There is a community group that has been established with government representation, and we plan to work together to help the members of this community.

Succession to the Throne

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Crown plays an integral part in Canada's unique history and is central to our institutions of government. We have always lived under a crown, whether under the French crown originally or today under the English Crown.

The Crown has helped make Canada one of the most stable and enduring democracies on earth. Canadians have a deep and historic connection with our royal family. Can the Minister of Justice please inform this House of the effects that Bill C-53 would have on the line of succession?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that the Succession to the Throne Act received royal assent yesterday. The legislation will end the practice of placing male heirs ahead of their older sisters in the line of succession. It will also mean that heirs to the throne who marry Roman Catholics will remain eligible in the line of succession.

These changes will ensure that the Crown evolves to reflect Canadian culture and values. Canadians are proud of the Crown, and we are proud of this legislation.

Employment

[Rathika Sitsabaiesan, NDP, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, young adults in Toronto face an unemployment rate almost three times higher than other adults. Tuition fees are rising, students are drowning in debt and food and housing costs are increasing faster than incomes. Yet Conservatives offer no answers and no help, only repackaged old programs from a government that has run out of ideas.

When will the Conservative government listen to young Canadians, and will it work with New Democrats on finding real solutions for youth unemployment in the GTA?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, this government is putting job creation and training in the hands of individuals who are job creators and employers. There are too many jobs that are going unfilled in Canada because employers cannot find workers to fill those roles.

We have the Canada jobs grant and our initiatives with respect to apprentices, and we are moving forward on 5,000 new internships for post-secondary education individuals. This is what we are doing. We are creating jobs and opportunities for young Canadians.

I encourage the NDP members to get on board instead of raising taxes. They should get with our jobs plan.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Jean-François Fortin, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in January, just before Parliament resumed, the Minister of Industry claimed that the government would negotiate pragmatic agreements with the Government of Quebec in good faith.

With the adoption of the budget, which penalizes Quebec in particular, I have a question for him. Where is the negotiation on the labour program that will deprive Quebec of millions of dollars? Where is the negotiation on abolishing the tax credit for labour-sponsored funds? Where is the negotiation on the tax increase for Caisses populaires Desjardins, which will reduce the dividend given to every member in Quebec?

What happened to good faith?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, since being elected, we have said that we would work on things that bring us together. The hon. member's party wants to separate Quebec from Canada. That is not what we want. The Bloc may want that, but we are going to continue to work hard to have a very strong Quebec within a united Canada.

I have started to have discussions with our provincial colleagues. We will continue to work very hard while respecting jurisdictions, but we are not going to put on the show that the Bloc wants. Quebeckers are fed up with the same old bickering. We are going to build the future.

Oral Questions

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

Mr. Speaker, when answering my question earlier, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development said, “...that is coming from a member who says he belongs to Canada's first nation...”.

I would like to give the minister the opportunity to correct what he said, because he is casting doubt on my aboriginal ancestry, which I am very proud of. Moreover, there is not just one first nation—

[Some hon. members]

Bravo.