Debates of March 8th, 2013

Employment Insurance

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Saint-Jean has the floor.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it is the minister who is responsible for butchering employment insurance. She is responsible—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Saint-Jean has the floor.

[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 that her reform makes no sense. If she would come out of her bubble a little, and really went to meet with the workers on the ground, perhaps she would understand the disastrous consequences of her reform.

Does the minister understand that there is often an enormous difference between theory and practice?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, what I wish the member opposite would understand is that a gentleman does not call a female cabinet minister names in the House of Commons.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

For all of their discussions, it has become apparent that the acronym NDP really does stand for no decorum party.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Halton, ON]

Our government is very much committed to making sure that employment insurance is in place for people when they need it. They need it when they lose their jobs as a result of unforeseen circumstances or circumstances beyond their control.

The bigger picture is that the economy is doing better as a result of the changes we have been making, and we will continue to make sure we look out for the long-term prospect.

Official Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is refusing to recognize one of the Quebec nation's fundamental rights: the right to protect its language, French.

The Minister of Industry released a report whose outcome was preordained, a report that ignores workers' problems. The whole thing was just a front for the federal government's complacency when it comes to French language issues.

Rather than hide behind a report that comes out of nowhere, the minister should do as the Bloc Québécois suggests and apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses. Nothing could be simpler, clearer or easier.

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

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, it would be irresponsible to do as my colleague suggests and apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses in Quebec. That is because the study shows that the place of French in federally regulated businesses is already very similar to the place of French in provincially regulated businesses.

Doing as he suggests would result in a major administrative burden. His method ignores the fact that our businesses are operating in a global market. There are external factors, such as headquarters located outside Quebec and clients who require service in their language. Our focus is on productivity, and that is how we will continue to address this issue. We have 50,000—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

Champlain Bridge

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport's position on the Champlain Bridge issue simply does not cut it.

From the beginning, Ottawa has refused to co-operate with the Government of Quebec regarding what form of public transit will be included. The Minister of Transport is shifting the blame onto Quebec, accusing it of not saying what mode of transportation it prefers. How can Quebec settle on a transportation mode when Ottawa refuses to say whether the bridge will be adapted to it? Quebec is not about to lay down tracks, only to stop at the bridge and wait for the federal government to decide what it wants to do with the bridge.

Will the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities stop working in a vacuum and confirm that the new bridge will include whatever sort of public transit infrastructure the Government of Quebec wants?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are going to build a bridge. At the same time, we are open to some form of public transit.

The Government of Quebec must indicate the kind of public transit it wants so that we can work to that end. The federal government is providing Quebec with a generous envelope for infrastructure. The Government of Quebec can give priority to whatever projects it wants.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the hon. Dan D'Autremont, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

On the occasion of International Women's Day, I would like to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of Professor Stéphanie Bélanger, who has been recognized for her academic work on the advancement of women in the Canadian Forces. She is accompanied by cadets from the Royal Military College of Canada.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Oral Questions

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, my point of order is on the subject of decorum, which we have had so much dialogue about in this House. To see true changes in decorum, people have to take personal accountability for their language in this House. Mr. Speaker, I draw your attention to not once, not twice, but three times in this House today, that rather than trying to make a policy point through an intelligent question, members of the opposition used name-calling of our ministers, ministers of the Crown, to try to make a point. This is not decorum.

Especially on International Women's Day, when we have female members of cabinet standing up for this country, talking about policy, why can we not elevate debate to the point of intelligence rather than name-calling? Apologize.

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment is saying. However, since when is the word “butchering” an insult? We are talking about—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order.

The hon. member for Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

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

Mr. Speaker, saying “the minister responsible for butchering employment insurance” can hardly be considered hurtful here in the House.

The government is butchering the employment insurance program to the point where women working in the fishing industry will not have enough money to stay in their homes.