Debates of April 16th, 2013

Opposition Motion--Temporary Foreign Worker Program

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to stand to speak on this motion by my colleague from Cape Breton—Canso. It is important, after this long a debate, to remind the House what the motion really is. It states, “That the House recognize that the use of temporary foreign workers to replace Canadian workers in jobs Canadians are qualified and able to do is an abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program...” It goes on to state that a special committee “have all of the powers of a Standing Committee as provided in the Standing Orders, as well as the power to travel, accompanied by the necessary staff, inside and outside of Canada...”

This is a serious issue. The need to consult Canadians on the temporary foreign worker program is critical and one that the government should support if it has been honest about how the program has been working. There have been a lot of answers from the government claiming it is concerned, we heard the word “concerned” used about 20 times by Conservatives, that there will be an internal review, it is going to fix any problems, and so on. Why not show some openness and transparency? Why not allow Parliament to do its function? Why not allow MPs to do their jobs without the strings of the PMO attached to the shoulders of the backbench members on the government side?

If the government has been truthful in its remarks thus far that it has not allowed deliberate abuse of the program, then it should be the first to support this motion. We now know, though, sadly, that the government, by the remarks of the parliamentary secretary, will not support the motion. The parliamentary secretary speaks for the government. Conservative MPs stand time after time and talk about “our government”. They still do not seem to realize that they are not members of the government but members of the governing party. They are members of the House of Commons. They can speak in their own right. They could support this motion.

I hear the member for Brant squeaking a bit over there. He can stand in his own right. That would be wonderful to see. I have listened to quite a number of backbenchers and I suspect this summer there will be a cabinet shuffle. Maybe the backbenchers are vying to get into cabinet and they do not want to cross any lines. However, for the backbenchers on the Conservative side who have been speaking out there is a real opportunity here.

There is a real opportunity for us to show Canadians that this place can work and that members of Parliament from all parties can do their jobs, hold hearings and, yes, have differences of opinion, but come back with recommendations for the government. If backbenchers in the Conservative Party support a recommendation in a committee, that does not mean they are undermining the government. They are making a recommendation as part a committee based on what they heard across the country for the government to do something better and the executive branch of government can reject or accept that recommendation. That is how this place is supposed to work.

What backbenchers in the Conservative Party seem to fall back on, and it obviously comes from the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, is the following:

[The] Minister...has launched a review of the temporary foreign worker program in the wake of allegations that the Royal Bank of Canada is laying off Canadian citizens for immigrant labour.

That is what they are falling back on: an internal review.

[Brad Butt, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Good. Great.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

The member for Mississauga—Streetsville says yes.

Well is that not wonderful? Not only is the PMO pulling his puppet strings, but now the bureaucrats at HRSDC are telling him what to do. That is who he is going to listen to, not the people of Canada. Come on, folks in this House. We are MPs. We have a responsibility. There is a problem with a program out there. We need a special committee to go out and hold hearings and to meet business people across the country and do our job. For heaven's sake, through you, Mr. Speaker, allow the PMO to allow members of Parliament to do their job. That would be a wonderful change in this place because we have not seen it happen in all of the six years since the current Prime Minister took his seat as Prime Minister. So I am saying that this so-called review by the minister is not enough.

A lot will be said in this discussion today, for and against temporary foreign workers and why the situation is as it is. However, I want to spell out that, at least from my perspective, it is a very important program. I see the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and he knows full well how important the program is to many in the agriculture sector. Many in my province use it. It is necessary, but it needs to be balanced with the rules so that Canadians' jobs are not taken away.

I will come to another point that is important to me, and that is what has been happening in this place as I have sat here and listened to this discussion today. What is wrong with holding a committee hearing? What is wrong with us doing our job? There was a time in this place when the government members would go out and do a green paper. They would consult and get basically an initial discovery view, and there would be white papers and special committees that would go out and hear all the views from business people and so on. That is really what we need to do here. We need to hear from the people in big business and small business, some of the companies that are using temporary foreign workers, some that are rightly doing so and perhaps some that are not. We need to hear from members of the various industries, be it agriculture, fish plants, or whatever it may be, and see what they think needs to be done.

I raised with you, Mr. Speaker, a moment ago and I raised it this morning, two separate points of order on the same issue related to what I have seen in this discussion today. Quite honestly, I find it very disgusting, what three members on the government side have said.

The member for Brampton West, got up and accused the NDP of writing somewhere around a dozen letters asking for temporary foreign workers. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister got up and accused the MP for Winnipeg North of writing a letter for a temporary worker. Just a moment ago, the member for Mississauga—Streetsville got up and said that at least eight New Democrats and at least four Liberals have written letters asking for temporary foreign workers. He says it is all true. How do we know that? Is it the Conservative spy and attack machine that is providing that information? Does every member over there on the Conservative side of the House know to whom I have written a letter in terms of the ministry? Do the Conservatives know the people who have asked me to make those requests? We know the tactics on the other side. They are divide and attack. That is what their tactics are, and the whole purpose of their even saying that the New Democrats or Liberals wrote letters is because they are trying to undermine the argument on this side. They are talking in half-truths and half-information.

This is a serious matter. It undermines the right of my constituents to have me write a letter to a minister requesting anything, and if I follow through on that letter I can expect to be attacked by the Conservative attack machine, by a backbench member who should not have the information from HRSDC or any other ministry in this country. What is happening to this Parliament?

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is rising on a point of order.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the point of order is that any letter written by a member of Parliament to a minister is actually subject to access to information in this country. The member should be aware of it.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

That is not a point of order; it is a point of debate.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Malpeque.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, we know the kind of games; we know what access to information is there for. We know the directions come from the centre to find any means to undermine, to attack and to discredit. That is not what Parliament is supposed to be about.

Why I am so strongly in favour of this motion of a special committee is to try to show Canadians that this place can work. We can work together as MPs. We do not have to take direction from the Prime Minister's Office. The backbench members over there do not have to take direction from the Prime Minister's Office. We could do our job, hold the proper hearings and come back with recommendations, and the cabinet could accept or reject those recommendations. That would be doing our job.

Let us understand what we are really speaking about. I may have got a little off track, but the fact of the matter is that I believe in my country. I believe in democracy and I want to see this democracy work. It is being severely undermined in this very place.

The program was initially proposed, designed and established by a previous Liberal government, but it worked then. It was not undermined. The program was established by a previous Liberal government and was initially designed to achieve a careful balance of three equally important objectives. The first was to protect the jobs and wages of Canadian workers and Canadian access to employment opportunities. The second was to assist small businesses and corporations that have legitimate—and I underline that fact—difficulties finding workers. The third objective was to protect the dignity of temporary foreign workers by ensuring they are paid a fair wage and are treated as fairly as Canadians workers doing the same work. That is what the program was really about in the beginning.

A recent article on the issue of temporary foreign workers provides a summary of why the House should support the motion here today. It was by Erin Weir, in the online Globe and Mail. It said:

Reports of RBC outsourcing jobs to temporary foreign workers to replace existing Canadian employees should prompt a broader debate about the massive expansion of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in recent years. Is this program addressing genuine “labour shortages” or undermining job opportunities and wages in Canada?

A number of speakers have spoken along those lines. The article went on:

The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada has more than doubled since the Harper government took office. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration reports the presence of 338,000 temporary foreign workers at the end of 2012.

Since 2006, that is a 140% increase in temporary foreign workers in the country, from 140,000 to 338,000. It is a serious matter. Certainly, some of them are needed in some sectors, but some of it is certainly an abuse of the program, and that is the reason we should be holding hearings.

The scale of the issue should be placed in a context that is both understandable and shocking at the same time, given the current reality of unemployment and underemployment in Canada. Since 2008, the number of temporary foreign workers has increased by 24,000, or 60%, in Toronto; 18,000, or 70%, in Quebec; and 5,000, or 80%, in the Atlantic provinces. Together, these regions of high unemployment account for most of the post-recession increase in Canada's temporary foreign workforce. With the exception of Toronto, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador, wages in these regions are below the national average.

To put it into perspective, the temporary workforce is now almost as large as New Brunswick's entire employed labour force and far exceeds that of Newfoundland and Labrador, not to mention Prince Edward Island. With remarkably little evidence or public consultation, the temporary foreign worker program has added the equivalent of a small province to Canada's labour market. That is how serious this issue is. It needs to be balanced in where to find and use temporary foreign workers, which is fine. However, what are the rules around those particular temporary foreign workers?

I do not want to talk about my own province because we do utilize temporary foreign workers.

In its report, the Cooper Institute stated this about how temporary foreign workers are treated:

In 2012 the federal government announced changes to the TFWP that will come into effect in 2013. One of these changes allows the TFWs to be paid up to 15% less than their Canadian co-workers, but not less than the minimum wage. Before this TFWs had to be paid the same wage as Canadians. TFWs are vulnerable in ways that most Canadian workers are not. If they issue a complaint, even to the authorities, they can be fired and sent back to their home countries.

Then there is the whole issue of housing. There is the whole issue of maybe having to pay money to a recruitment agent. As well, there is the whole issue of insecurity. These people are certainly under some pressure.

Specifically in my own province, are temporary foreign workers taking jobs from islanders? The Cooper Institute claims:

No. Before hiring TFWs, employers need to go through a process that shows they have advertised for Canadian workers, and that they didn't receive enough applications. Also, most employers of TFWs report that they still have job vacancies for any Canadians who may want to apply for work.

I have had experience with that myself, where I have had to work strenuously with the labour market opinion to allow a film crew that was working on a fairly major film to come to Prince Edward Island. They did not have the skills on the island to do it. We were able to do that.

However, it is important that there is the right balance in terms of temporary foreign workers coming in.

We all know that there are serious problems with the temporary foreign worker program. This recommendation is requesting not an absolute solution right now but rather making a recommendation that a committee go out there, do its job, meet with the business community, whether big or small, the hospitality industry, the tourism industry and the farming industry to hear what people have to say, find the problems, look at the solutions and meet with HRSDC. It would give us the opportunity to show Canadians that there is a role for MPs and that the backbench Conservatives do not have to take their direction from the PMO. Rather, they could actually work as a team of parliamentarians and go out there and work together, do the hearings, find the solutions and make recommendations.

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

Mr. Speaker, back when the member opposite's party was in power, it took $54 billion out of the employment insurance system to make it look as if it was balancing the books instead of directing that money toward skills development.

Now we have a situation where we have job availability but do not have people with the correct skills to fill those jobs.

How can the member criticize our government when his party used the temporary foreign workers program to bring in strippers and victims of human trafficking?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Oh my goodness, Mr. Speaker, what does the question have to do with finding solutions? This is what I was talking about earlier. Conservative members have to use certain talking points. We know a cabinet shuffle is coming and all those members are vying to get there. There may be a better opportunity for those who attack and divide the most. That is why we get these kinds of questions. That is why we get the seek and destroy and search Conservative attack machine finding letters that members of Parliament may have written and giving half truths and half information in terms of the remarks.

I can tell the members that the Liberal government had surplus budgets. We hit our targets, not like the Conservative government is doing.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, honestly, if we are going to hear such ridiculous, half-baked questions, like the one about strippers, then I would rather hear talking points.

The member mentioned a story about those people who needed to find very skilled workers in a field that was experiencing a shortage of that kind of labour. That is precisely the situation that program is supposed to address. However, the Internet, and specifically the well-known site Kijiji, describes a very different situation.

Our company WellcarePlacents is hiring individuals who have work experience in fastfood counter attendant, to work in Mc Donald, Boston Pizza, Dairy Queen, Tim Hortons, Subways and more. You must at least have a one year work expereince. Pls send your resume with picture. Air ticket is provided!!!

Is this not an abuse of the regulations?

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, the point that the member outlined is the reason we must as a Parliament endorse this special committee and allow it to do its work. There are many of these kinds of examples. There are bad examples in which the program is seriously being abused. The government has lowered the wage structure by a potential 15%, and that can put downward pressure on wages in this country and labour issues. I mentioned many other situations in my remarks in terms of the agriculture industry and fisheries plants where we do indeed need temporary foreign workers.

The member's question makes the argument of why Conservative members in the House should take on their responsibilities, support the motion and allow this Parliament to do its work for Canadians, not just the PMO.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, of course we will not react to what the Conservatives are doing.

Not only is this an important program, but we need to be pragmatic and recognize certain realities, particularly in the agricultural sector. I wonder if my hon. colleague from Malpeque, who was our agriculture critic in another life and knows this file very well, could explain how important it is to support this motion. The program works. It is a good, much-needed program, but we need to prevent abuse. I would like him to explain exactly why this program is so important, especially for our farmers.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, it is an extremely important program for the farm community. People within my own community use temporary foreign workers because they cannot find workers for the vegetable industry they run.

The program is not necessarily taking jobs from Canadians. The program leverages more jobs for Canadians. Canadians work on that farm as well as temporary foreign workers. There is a spinoff from the production, the agricultural development, the trucking to the grocery stores. It makes the operation work and that is the kind of balance we need.

There are good and bad examples, as I said earlier. This committee could provide the evidence, not the rhetoric from those who want to attack immigrants as if they are taking jobs away from Canadians, which some may be doing but there are a lot who are not.

We need to find the facts and the evidence and make the recommendations to make this program work the way it was originally designed to.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The time for government orders has expired. The hon. member for Malpeque will have four minutes in questions and comments remaining when this returns before the House.

National Volunteer Week

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, next week is National Volunteer Week, a time when we celebrate the volunteers who contribute so much to our communities. I rise to give thanks to the thousands of constituents in my riding of Richmond Hill who help every day to improve the lives of others.

By assisting in their place of worship, school or hospital, coaching in a sports organization, participating in a ratepayer association or community club, or simply lending a hand to their neighbours, Richmond Hill is much better off because of their generous contributions.

Groups like the Richmond Hill Social and Bocce Club, the 1st Richvale Guides, Learning Disabilities Association of York Region, Richmond Hill Community Food Bank, L'Arche Daybreak, Hill House Hospice, Richmond Hill Winter Carnival and so many others all benefit from the time, energy and skills of these selfless individuals. I salute all volunteers in Richmond Hill, and I offer my appreciation and congratulations to them and indeed to all volunteers across our great nation who help make our communities and our country the very best place in the world in which to live.

2013 Boston Marathon

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am indebted to Boston: my wife; my wedding day; Italian ice at Castle Island with the kids and grandparents; milestones and rhythms of my life, happy ones, because of a beautiful city and people with warm, generous hearts, always lovely and welcoming to this Canadian in love with one of their own. Those hearts are broken today and ours along with them.

To the families and loved ones of those injured, our hope for your recovery. To those whose hearts were silenced yesterday, including eight-year-old Martin Richard, our prayers.

I was reminded yesterday by a friend from Afghanistan that around the world, it is not terror that is rare but peace. It is a message in chalk on the sidewalk outside little Martin Richard's home in Dorchester. It is in our hearts, surely, but somebody has to turn sidewalk chalk into indelible ink, desire into something more real for this world. That I believe is to us in this House and to our country. May that be our way to honour those who fell in Boston yesterday.

Bernadette McCann House for Women

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

Mr. Speaker, Bernadette McCann House for Women serves Renfrew County with outreach offices in Pembroke, Renfrew, Arnprior, Killaloe and Petawawa. Founded by Bernadette McCann, the house was incorporated in 1978. It is dedicated to providing safe emergency accommodation, offering individual and group support, safety planning, education on abuse and resources that give hope for a better way of life.

Bernadette McCann House for Women is the first women's shelter and support services organization in Canada to be voluntarily accredited by FOCUS Accreditation. FOCUS measures the delivery of community and social services. By electing to be accredited by a rigorous external evaluation, Bernadette McCann House for Women has undertaken a commitment to improving the quality of services they provide and to offering services effectively in a manner that meets best practice.

Congratulations to all those who have helped Bernadette McCann House for Women achieve this recognition for the services it provides to our Renfrew County community.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to pay tribute to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada on the occasion of its centennial.

At a time when role models are in short supply, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada has done our society a great service by continuing to offer quality mentorship programs to kids across the country. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada believes that by changing the course of young lives, we can in turn be changing the course of a community's future. As a big supporter of programs like the Cadets and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, I completely agree with this philosophy.

The young person inspired today will be the adult who helps build a better society for all of us tomorrow. Therefore, on behalf of me and the Liberal Party of Canada, I congratulate Big Brothers Big Sisters and their army of mentors, who provide kids with positive reinforcement, good times and a shoulder to lean on in bad times, for their contribution to Canada. Here is to another 100 years of making a difference.

Sri Lanka

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada remains deeply concerned about the state of media freedom in Sri Lanka.

The offices of a newspaper in northern Sri Lanka were attacked again on Saturday. The BBC recently suspended all radio broadcasts following what it called “continued interruption and interference” by the national broadcaster. Faraz Shauketaly, a journalist, was shot on February 15. The 2009 killing of editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and the 2010 disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda, a cartoonist, remain unresolved.

Last month's UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka expressed concern about continuing reports of violations of freedom of expression as well as intimidation of and reprisals against journalists. Canada urges the government of Sri Lanka to ensure freedom of expression and the safety of media personnel and to fully investigate these attacks.

The Economy

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Gatineau continue to bear the brunt of the Conservative government's policies. There is only bad news in the budget for them.

The Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights has just vetted a Conservative bill that will increase sentences for those who recruit gang members. However, the Minister of Public Safety is slashing programs to prevent gang violence. In Gatineau, that means the end of the joint police squad to fight gangs, which harbour criminals in Gatineau. This is completely outrageous and it does not make sense.

It is also outrageous that Canada Post wants to close its outlet on rue Racine, the only post office in the riding of Gatineau. This post office is vital to our small businesses and is known for its efficiency. Since the proposed closure was announced, I have been receiving telephone calls, emails, Facebook messages and petitions from constituents who have been speaking out loud and clear against the closure of this post office.

Public safety and economic performance are just for show. The people of Gatineau and I take issue with this government, and we will work together to put in power a government worthy of our aspirations in 2015.

Taxation

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our government takes aggressive international tax planning seriously and is committed to cracking down on those who attempt to cheat the system. That is why we have increased audit resources for our international audit program by roughly 40% and for the aggressive tax planning program by over 90%. This means that we have more experts examining suspicious transactions and focusing on the abusive use of tax havens.

Economic action plan 2013 proposes further measures to tackle this global issue by implementing new ways to collect the critical information that will further assist in uncovering undeclared income and hidden assets. All these measures combined would give our government an unprecedented ability to crack down on those who avoid paying their fair share while making it increasingly difficult to hide money offshore.

Veteran Elementary School Students

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on Remembrance Day last year, during the ceremony at Veteran Elementary School, Private First Class Dave Pennington shared his experiences in the Canadian Armed Forces. Some of the stories were sad—setbacks and loss—and others were of victory during World War II.

When questioned about his medals, he also lamented that his medals had been lost or destroyed. So moved were the students by this brave soldier's story that they began working to replace his missing medals. On March 28, the students at Veteran Elementary School invited Private First Class Pennington, his family and me to their school. As a total surprise, the students presented Dave Pennington with the replacement medals.

A veteran shares his story of standing up for Canada's freedom, then a new generation of Canadians is moved to honour a Canadian war veteran in a special way. Then the Government of Canada assists these young students by replacing the medals.

Congratulations to Private First Class David Pennington and to the students of Veteran Elementary School in Veteran, Alberta.

Vancouver Arts Centres

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, East Vancouver has a dynamic and long-standing arts community. Today I would like to pay tribute to three organizations that have served our community for four decades.

Western Front is a pioneering artist-run centre for contemporary art and music. With its diverse programming, Western Front is a crucial platform for interdisciplinary experimental art practices in Canada and internationally.

Operating as a training centre, a production studio and an international video distributor, VIVO is Vancouver's oldest artist-run media arts centre. VIVO provides opportunities for artists to share and develop their work in an inclusive environment.

The Vancouver East Cultural Centre, affectionately named “The Cultch”, is dedicated to supporting and presenting contemporary theatre, dance and music. It is Vancouver's cultural treasure.

I salute these amazing organizations and their 40 years of outstanding creativity, resilience and vision. They are beloved in Vancouver and in our local community.

Air Force Appreciation Day

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today to mark Air Force Appreciation Day on the Hill and to celebrate members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. These brave men and women serve our country daily with honour and distinction, just as their predecessors have done since the RCAF was formed on April 1, 1924.

In the past year, search and rescue personnel have responded to more than a thousand calls for help. Air force personnel conducted many sovereignty operations in the north with the CF-18. They have also deployed as part of the training mission in Afghanistan, supported the French mission in Mali, defended the air space over Iceland, combated piracy at sea, provided tactical helicopter support for the army and hauled personnel and cargo in support of the broader missions of the Canadian Armed Forces. Yesterday, we announced a richly deserved special award to members of Bomber Command.

All Canadians can be proud of the contributions by the more than 15,000 regular and reserve members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Today we recognize their service and sacrifice. Per ardua ad astra.

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is Air Force Appreciation Day. It is an opportunity for my colleagues and me to recognize the outstanding contributions made by members of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Our air force is always ready to serve our country, whether that involves conducting search and rescue missions, protecting our sovereignty or providing humanitarian aid.

Whether the members work as pilots, mechanics, weapons specialists, meteorologists, aerospace engineers, air combat systems officers, air traffic controllers, equipment operators, logistics officers or intelligence experts; as imagery, search and rescue, or aviation and avionics systems technicians; or as firefighters, doctors, musicians or cooks, they all do their duty with passion, dedication and discipline.

I therefore encourage all my colleagues to join me in recognizing the tremendous dedication of all the men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force, from the chief of the air force staff right down through the ranks.