Debates of April 22nd, 2013

The Environment

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is not doing a very good job of hiding his government's negligence when it comes to environmental issues. It has gutted parks, biologist and chemist positions as well as research centres such as the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. It has cut environmental monitoring programs at Transport and National Defence by more than half. It has also gutted the northern land, resources and environmental management program. I could go on.

Why do the Conservatives go to such lengths to attack the environment? Do they think that Canadians will not notice?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the former leader of his party said he simply did not get it done.

This government in budget 2013 reinforces—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of the Environment still has the floor. Order, please.

The hon. Minister of the Environment.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. The Liberals did not get it done. I would ask my colleague on the other side of the House to take a close look at budget 2013, at the significant investments we are making to the environment and Canada's environmental priorities. Then, I would challenge them to support the budget.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Neskantaga First Nation declared a state of emergency following a surge of suicides.

In the past year, there have been 20 suicide attempts, four deaths by suicide and seven tragic deaths in a community of just 421 residents. The government's Band-Aid solution is completely inadequate.

When will the government announce a serious, long-term strategy to fight substance abuse, suicide, crime and violence in aboriginal communities?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to those individuals who have lost loved ones to suicide. As I stated last week, Health Canada will work closely with the communities and send both additional nursing and counselling to the communities that were affected. We have renewed funding and work very closely with the national aboriginal organizations to develop the framework for the national aboriginal youth suicide prevention strategy and will continue to work in partnership with many other organizations.

The member can support aboriginal first nations women by supporting the matrimonial rights legislation in place in the House. That will give aboriginal women the same rights she takes for granted.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the minister is disconnected. I have spoken to the chief, and Band-Aid solutions are not the answer. Instead of playing political games, the Conservatives should act to end this crisis and start working on real solutions. The sad truth is that in a non-aboriginal community a similar situation would not be tolerated, and substantial resources would already have been deployed to deal with the situation.

Why will the government not deliver long-term solutions that the community needs and, in a country such as ours, deserves?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we have been increasing health care funding for our first nation communities during our time as government. We have also made historic arrangements at improving health care delivery, particularly in British Columbia, with a historic tripartite health agreement that we signed off, which will be implemented this year. The member and her party and the other opposition party can support the matrimonial rights legislation that will give—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

This is not funny—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. Minister of Health still has the floor.

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is not a laughing matter to deny first nations the same matrimonial rights that you take for granted every day. If you want to help aboriginal women, you can support this legislation—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would remind the hon. Minister of Health to address her response through the Chair and not directly at other colleagues.

The hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette.

The Environment

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today on Earth Day, let us take a look at the opposition's dismal record on the environment. The former Liberal government actually developed its policy on the back of a napkin. It was a complete failure and led to a 30% increase in greenhouse gases. Members can look it up.

The NDP members, who were cheerleaders for the Liberals' failed policy, are now pushing the famous $20 billion carbon tax that would not reduce emissions by a single tonne.

Could the Minister of the Environment—the best in Canada, I might add—update us on what our government is doing to improve Canada's environment?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette because his question reminds us that the Liberals' failed environmental policies would have set this country back decades had our government not been elected. The NDP's policy, a tax on everything, would only serve to jeopardize Canadian jobs and the economy.

We are proud to be the first Canadian government, as I have said many times today, to actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With clean air, clean water, clean energy on this Earth Day, and announcing the new oil sands monitoring portal, I can report we are getting the job done.

National Defence

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, soldiers yesterday in Afghanistan found there is going to be a second pay cut, the second one in two weeks. Both were reversed when leaked to the media, so it is a new day, a new screw-up, and blame the bureaucrats.

Instead of another day, another pay cut, another screw-up and another day of blaming the bureaucrats, will the minister stand in the House today and pledge to the soldiers that their danger pay will not be cut while they are in Afghanistan?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, in his rambling preamble, the member has already addressed the fact that this is not happening. I find it interesting coming from this member in particular, who comes from the party that was the architect of the decade of darkness thrust upon our Canadian Forces, their families and our veterans, which gutted our military and slashed and burned our forces, in which they were sent to Afghanistan in forest green uniforms and inadequate equipment.

For this member to stand and criticize is the height of hypocrisy.

Parliamentary Budget Officer

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today Justice Harrington of the Federal Court affirmed the Parliamentary Budget Officer's powers under the Federal Accountability Act. The court held that the government did not have to enact legislation to create the position of Parliamentary Budget Officer, but having prescribed the mandate in law, it can only be unmade by Parliament. This contradicts what the unelected Senate has argued and what Conservatives have argued in and out of court.

Can the chair of the public accounts committee tell us what this means for fiscal accountability?

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. What it means is that even this government is not above the law. The justice wrote:

...Parliament not only intended that the Parliamentary Budget Officer be answerable to it and to its committees, but also to every backbencher irrespective of political stripe.

And:

...shield any given member of either House of Parliament from the will of the majority.

What that means is that we have a right to be asking these fiscal questions of the PBO. The PBO has a lawful responsibility to respond, and the only way he or she can do that is to get the information from the government, and it has now been told by the courts to provide—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, we are eternally grateful for the dedication and sacrifice made by Canadian Armed Forces members. Our government committed to supporting the women and men in uniform to do the tasks we ask them to do, some of which are very dangerous, so today I was particularly disturbed by media stories that our soldiers have to pay back money due to an administrative error.

Can the Minister of National Defence please clarify this matter and update the House on what action our government is taking to rectify it?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague from Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke's sentiment with respect to our government and our country's proud and grateful attitude toward our members of the Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice, and that of their families.

As a result of an administrative error resulting in roughly 100 members of the Canadian Armed Forces having to face an overpayment that was going to be reclaimed, as Minister of National Defence, I firmly believe that it is unfair to penalize soldiers and their families as a result of an accounting error, so we will not be asking our soldiers to pay back the difference.

Earlier today, I instructed my department to take whatever steps were necessary to reverse this collection.

Champlain Bridge

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec has finally selected a light rail transportation system for the new Champlain Bridge. However, the Conservative government has not yet committed any funds to this public transit project. Elected officials and the public unanimously support the LRT. With their toll system, the Conservatives are already making families on the South Shore pay for the new bridge.

Can the Minister of Transport at least commit to providing adequate funds for the LRT on the new bridge?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the day we announced the new bridge project—October 5, 2001—we said that it would include public transit. As we have been saying from the beginning, public transit is a provincial jurisdiction and we will respect that. In the 2007-2014 plan for Canada, the provinces decided to use up to 68% of the budget envelope for public transit. We will soon have a new infrastructure plan, and it will be up to the provinces to use those funds as they wish. We are pleased that Quebec has made a decision. This will allow us to move forward with our plans concerning the new bridge over the St. Lawrence.