Debates of March 8th, 2013

Employment Insurance

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' complete failure on EI benefits has been a total mess.

Anna Silverman, of Gatineau, has been told that she is not eligible for maternity benefits. She would have had more than enough hours to qualify, but because of an outbreak of measles at the school she was working at, she was forced to stay home. As a result, she is nine hours short, and Service Canada is rejecting her claim. The government has amended the EI act for members of the armed forces to avoid this kind of situation. Why will it not do the same for young mothers like Anna Silverman?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I would point out that we, on our side, do empathize with the plight of this individual, but that being said, there are eligibility requirements for all people who take part in the EI program. An individual simply must have the required number of hours in order to establish a claim.

As always, employment insurance will continue to be there for people who have accumulated enough hours to qualify for the benefits.

[François Pilon, NDP, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for butchering employment insurance keeps saying that she is making changes to help the economy, for the greater good of the unemployed and to help families find work.

That is very strange. She seems to be the only one to see the good in her reform. Workers, mayors, unions and even businesspeople are saying the exact opposite.

Could the minister mean to say, “I want what is good for you and I want your goods as well”?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, that is a ludicrous comment coming from the NDP.

Our government is making common-sense changes. The reality is employment insurance will be there for those who need it, when they need it most, which is when they lose their jobs as a result of something that is unforeseen and not in their control.

However, turning to the other side of it too, the unemployment rate in this country is 7%, which is the best it has been in many, many years. We are very proud of the number of net new jobs we have created: 950,000. We are getting the job done.

[Ryan Cleary, NDP, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, let us see if we have this straight, because people are still shaking their heads.

On one hand, Conservatives are sending EI inspectors to people's homes to spy on them to check up on how many résumés they are sending out each week. On the other hand, Conservatives are taking away a $2-billion transfer to the provinces, a transfer that helps people get back to work, to retrain, and to re-enter the workforce.

Why can Conservatives not see that unemployed Canadians need new skills to find a job more than they need Big Brother spying on them?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will not speculate on what is to come, but I must say that I am very proud of this government's record on skills training. In fact, I have to point out some things the NDP has voted against that have led to some fantastic numbers in February: 50,000 net new jobs created, in fact.

The NDP voted against every job creation measure put forward by this government. It voted against apprenticeship completion grants. It voted against students who need those apprenticeship grants. In fact, in the spirit of International Women's Day, I hope that those women who took those apprenticeship grants remember that the NDP voted against them.

The environment

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, employment insurance is not the Conservatives' only failure. Far from it.

They also fail when it comes to consulting the public. We recently learned that consultations on the environment and the Old Harry project were quietly abandoned.

For two years, the Minister of the Environment has refused to take responsibility and get the federal government involved in the issue, in response to unprecedented demands from coastal communities in five provinces.

Why does the minister refuse to take responsibility for this?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord, which covers Old Harry, is a historic agreement.

Our Conservative government signed this agreement with the Government of Quebec. The NDP should be pleased with it.

Both the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada are prepared to move forward because this will create jobs and economic growth, a concept that is totally foreign to the NDP.

Arms Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, negotiations for the global arms treaty resume on March 18. To date, the Conservative government's support for this treaty has been erratic and has taken some extremely regressive positions going into the final rounds of negotiations.

Why does the government think that bullets do not need the same risk assessments as the weapons that shoot them?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada already has some of the highest global standards in the export control of munitions. We believe that any treaty regarding the sale of munitions helps move the international community closer to our world-leading standards.

That said, the legitimate civilian use of firearms for sporting, hunting and collecting purposes should not be the target of the arms trade treaty.

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

Mr. Speaker, documents reveal that under the Conservatives, Canada has been reduced by the PMO to playing a low-key, minimal role at the arms trade treaty negotiations. This is a far cry from the leadership Canada took in the international effort to ban the use of landmines.

If the Conservatives claim to stand up for victims, why are they working to undermine international efforts to crack down on the illicit arms trade in places like Syria and Mali? Why will they not stand up for victims of armed conflict?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this government has an excellent record of working hard to ensure that the arms treaty is moving forward and that we work to ensure that there is legitimate civilian use of firearms for sporting, hunting and collecting purposes and not for civilian unrest. We will continue to work with others to determine how to move forward. On the ATT, Canada continues to support the arms treaty.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a funny way of actually supporting the negotiations when first the Conservatives instruct our diplomats to drag their feet on the treaty. Then they appoint Steve Torino to be the only civil society representative on Canada's delegation. This is the president of the Shooting Sports Association. This is the same person who recommended removing restrictions on hand guns and assault rifles in Canada.

Why is the Conservative government ignoring Canadian values and sabotaging vital arms treaty negotiations?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as has always been the case for international meetings, the composition of Canadian delegations for this type of international gathering is the minister's prerogative and responsibility. Our position on this treaty has not changed. Canada supports efforts to establish international standards for arms transfers in order to help prevent illicit transfers that fuel conflict and encourage terrorism or organized crime.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, clearly they do not understand that this treaty is about saving lives in places like Syria and Africa. Now, on the eve of this treaty and the negotiations, we learn that the government is actually trying to illegally export arms to Latin America, if one can believe it. We should be working with our international partners to cut the flow of small arms.

Why are the Conservatives allowing gun lobbyists to represent Canada in global arms negotiations? Remember, these are the lobbyists that even the Prime Minister finds too extreme.

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, Canada continues to support the arms treaty, but let me tell my hon. colleague this: support provided to partner countries through the anti-crime capacity-building program directly improves security in our hemisphere, especially by combatting transnational crime and its work to bring guns to Canada. We will continue working with the parties responsible and ensure that our government is committed to reducing crime and improving security around the world.

Status of Women

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's theme for International Women's Week is “Working Together: Engaging Men to End Violence against Women”.

Our Conservative government is taking concrete action to eliminate violence against women and girls. We have been working with communities to improve safety and security and have supported a number of important projects that work to end violence across the country.

Could the Minister for Status of Women please inform the House on Canada's international leadership and our efforts to combat violence against women?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I would specifically like to thank the member for the work that she has done to end violence against women and girls and her groundbreaking and worldly efforts on human trafficking. Canada, of course, is committed to ending violence against women and girls at home and abroad. Just this week, at the United Nations, we have taken a leadership role to take our message from Canada to the world that engaging men and boys is an important part in ending violence against women.

While men are the perpetrators of violence against women and girls, the majority of men are good and want to help, so we ask them to take a stand and not be bystanders and work with us and women across this country to end violence against women and girls.

Foreign Affairs

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the UN reported that one million people have fled the unrelenting horror in Syria, a figure increasing at the alarming rate of 6,000 refugees daily, half of them children, a humanitarian disaster compounded by three million internally displaced and the appalling number of over 70,000 dead.

Given that the Assad regime remains willing to slaughter its own, will the government increase its humanitarian assistance, facilitate family reunification and resettlement in Canada, and join the international effort to bring Assad and Syrian war criminals before the International Criminal Court?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government is very much concerned about the situation that is going on in Syria. We have made our position very clear that Mr. Assad must go. As far as the International Criminal Court is concerned, we will let the people of Syria decide what Mr. Assad's future is, but let us be very clear: Mr. Assad must go, to bring peace back to Syria.

Employment Insurance

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are feeling the effects of employment insurance reform at home.

For over 30 years, Robert Devaney, from my riding, has been a teacher, for at least 12 of those years, a supply teacher. Between placements he sometimes has to rely on EI, a program he has paid into for decades.

The Conservatives' new rules mean he is no longer eligible. He may even have to turn to social assistance. Is this the kind of common sense they are talking about?

Why are Conservatives making life harder for our teachers?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, employment insurance will be available for those who need it in the circumstances they find themselves when they lose their jobs through no fault of their own.

With respect to the program, we are making some common sense changes that will help people find jobs and connect with jobs in their communities.

It is very important to be reminded that EI will be there for people when they do need it.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for over 25 years, aboriginal women living on reserves have been without the legal protections that are available to all other Canadians. In cases of family violence, they are kicked out of their homes with no place to go. First nations women, international organizations and even the Manitoba NDP agree that this must change.

As today is International Women's Day, would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development please update the House on what our government is doing to protect aboriginal women living on reserves?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced matrimonial property rights legislation to protect thousands of aboriginal women living on reserves across Canada. In situations of family violence, the bill would allow judges to enforce emergency protection orders and remove a violent partner. Tragically, the NDP and Liberals continue to oppose this legislation.

The bill is long overdue. We continue to stand up for aboriginal women so they can have the same rights and protections as all Canadian women across the country.

Employment Insurance

[Tarik Brahmi, NDP, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for butchering employment insurance should start by listening to the workers, the employers and the elected officials who are telling her—