Debates of April 22nd, 2013

National Volunteer Week

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

Mr. Speaker, April 22 is a day of civic importance.

It is Earth Day, and thousands of people, including many of my colleagues, gathered yesterday in the streets of Montreal to commemorate this day. This date also marks the start of National Volunteer Week. This week we celebrate the many ways people get involved in the community throughout the year.

Today I would like to mention that once again this year, the Centre d'information sur l'environnement de Longueuil will organize a shore cleanup along the St. Lawrence. I also want to mention the work done by community media outlets, such as Point Sud and MédiaSud, which are represented here in the gallery today. These two media outlets in Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher rely on volunteers and the community. There is no question that they could not exist without volunteers.

Yesterday, thousands of people were marching in the streets, and day after day, volunteers make contributions—big and small—to their communities, all because they dream of a better world. What an inspiration they are to us all. Congratulations and thank you.

Canadian Cowgirls

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, I commend a group of Canadian women who not only stand tall for their country but stand tall in the saddle, as well. I am speaking about the Canadian Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, a group of talented women from southwestern Ontario who are famous across North America for their impressive costumes, precision-riding abilities and daring and unique routines.

On a variety of horses, like the Appaloosa, quarter horse and Paint, the Canadian Cowgirls have performed in front of royalty, such as His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and even in front of Canadians like Don Cherry, not to mention thousands of other cheering fans. The group has performed live shows for the Canadian Forces and also in Canada Day shows. The women recently became the only Canadian riders who have ever been invited to the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California.

I wish to commend Beth Lucan and the rest of her team for their ongoing excellence and wish them continued success.

Taxation

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to keeping taxes low for hardworking Canadian families, seniors and businesses. Since 2006, we have reduced taxes over 150 times, and the average family of four pays $3,200 less in federal taxes each year. We have reduced personal income taxes, cut the GST from 7% to 5% and put in place the children's fitness tax credit, the transit tax credit and much more.

Thanks to our tax reductions, the average senior can earn almost $20,000 a year, and the average senior couple can earn almost $40,000 a year, without paying a single nickel of federal income tax. Because of our cuts, over one million Canadians have been removed entirely from the tax rolls.

Our government is proud of its low-tax plan and will continue to keep taxes low for Canadian families.

Earth Day

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are at a crossroads. Earth Day is an opportunity for each and every one of us to acknowledge the urgent need to take action to save our planet. We know that global greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise, and if we do nothing, we could surpass the 2°C threshold, which would have irreversible consequences. Denying the truth will not help us find solutions.

Canada's latest performance report shows that our emissions have increased by one million tonnes. All of the experts agree that the government's sector-by-sector approach is ineffective. What is more, the Conservatives' inaction could cost us more than $5 billion a year. Investing in sustainable development could kick-start the economy and create jobs, all while protecting our planet.

I urge this government to listen to the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets to call for political leadership and immediate measures to combat climate change.

Volunteerism

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to honour the many Canadian volunteers from across the country. This week is National Volunteer Week in Canada, and I wish to extend a heartfelt thanks on behalf of the Canadian government to everyone who volunteers.

I am pleased to honour from my riding of Simcoe—Grey, David Sadlier, Sandie Macdonald, Dr. Don Paul and Major Jim Ellwood for their outstanding commitment to volunteering and for providing leadership in my riding. Their efforts certainly do not go unnoticed.

I am also pleased to speak in support of the Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards, which are awarded to individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations from across the country that give back to their communities in many ways. This group is only a tiny sample of Canada's volunteers. There are close to 12.5 million Canadians, almost half our population, who donate their time to help others. The dollar value of this work has been estimated to be over $14 billion.

I am deeply thankful for the efforts of the volunteers who make our communities better every day. Please join me in thanking them for all of the efforts they focus on and dedicate every day to help communities across our country.

The Environment

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Earth Day, it is important to talk about clean, safe and sustainable water. The UN declared 2013 the UN International Year of Water Cooperation to raise awareness about sustainability and the challenges of water management because of the increase in demand for access, allocation and services.

This campaign is juxtaposed with the Conservatives Bill C-45 and the elimination of most of Canada's lakes and rivers from the Navigable Waters Protection Act. To fight the harmful impact of this legislation, I will introduce a private member's bill today that will put the Cowichan River back under the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

I would also like to give thanks to my constituents, who are fighting to prevent the dumping of contaminated soil in a local quarry in the Shawnigan Lake watershed. Local aquifers and watersheds significantly impact the local wildlife, health and economy, and a potential contamination could be disastrous.

We understand the importance of protecting our local water sources and the ecological balance for future generations. Happy Earth Day.

Canadian Centre for Child Protection

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lianna McDonald and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for the successful launch of its new website, needhelpnow.ca.

Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of reported cases of young people involved in peer exploitation. This type of exploitation, often called sexting, is generally defined as youth creating and sharing sexual images with their peers over the Internet and/or wireless devices.

It is clear that youth need a place to access information on dealing with such incidents, and in the most extreme cases, a place to report their concerns. Needhelpnow.ca will provide youth with the information they need to recognize when things have gone too far and what they can do to report and prevent such incidents from occurring.

Our government is pleased to support the work of organizations like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to help educate and protect Canadian youth. I urge all hon. members to put needhelpnow.ca on their Twitter and Facebook accounts to help get the word out to our Canadian youth. That is needhelpnow.ca.

Volunteerism

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today in Ottawa I joined hundreds of volunteers who walked for Boston in solidarity with the victims' families, the participants and the volunteers of the Boston Marathon.

Across Canada volunteers share their time, skills and talents to make things better in their own communities and in communities all around the world.

This week is National Volunteer Week, a time to pay tribute to the more than 13 million Canadians who spend over two billion hours volunteering every year. Volunteers have a passion for getting involved. They take action to support the causes that matter to them and they make our communities stronger.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our parliamentary caucus, I want to thank all of Canada's volunteers for their tremendous contributions and for their dedication to improving the lives of others.

Firearms Registry

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Yvonne Jones, the Liberal candidate in Labrador, has said that she says “no” to the gun registry. It seems that a Liberal has accepted the common sense policy that targeting hunters, farmers and sport shooters does not prevent crime. However, I am concerned that this is typical Liberal double-talk.

When the new leader of the Liberal Party was looking for votes in rural Ontario, he said that the gun registry was a failure. However, mere hours later, in Quebec, he said, “I voted to keep the firearms registry...and if we had a vote tomorrow I would vote...to keep the long-gun registry”.

Unlike the Liberals who say one thing in rural Canada and another in Ottawa and Quebec, our Conservative Party will continue to stand up for law-abiding sport shooters, farmers and hunters.

Minister of National Defence

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the disastrous record of the Minister of National Defence keeps going from bad to worse: the minister who constantly says that criticizing the shoddy management of his department is the same as criticizing our troops really took a beating this morning—and for the second time concerning soldiers' pay while deployed.

Canadian soldiers currently serving in northern Afghanistan were asked, by departmental directive, to pay back thousands of dollars in danger pay, a decision that was once again reversed in a panic following a media scoop.

The minister tried to save a few pennies on the sly, at the expense of our soldiers. It seems to me that the Minister of National Defence—who is willing to slap down tens of thousands of dollars to get his photo taken with an F-35 or to be taxied out of his fishing camp in an army helicopter—should not be playing bailiff with our soldiers.

Our brave soldiers are courageously serving in one of the most dangerous countries on the planet and deserve a government that treats them with respect and dignity.

In 2015, that is exactly what the NDP will give them.

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada

[Jay Aspin, Conservative, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as Canadians look forward to the summer months, they can rest assured that our Conservative government will continue to fight the NDP leader's $20 billion job-killing carbon tax.

In the summer months, Canadians will hit the road with their families to go camping, spend time at a cottage or visit family and friends. Respected economist Jack Mintz estimates that the NDP leader's carbon tax would raise gas prices by as much as 10¢ a litre. That is a real direct hit on the pockets of Canadian families. If the NDP ever got its way, summer vacations would be in jeopardy.

On this side of the House, we will continue to fight the NDP leader's carbon tax and will continue to stand up for Canadians.

The Environment

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are piling an insurmountable environmental debt on the backs of future generations.

Under the successive Liberal and Conservative governments, Canada has failed miserably in terms of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The Conservatives made Canada the one and only country to withdraw from the Kyoto accord. Also for the first time, unlike any other country in the world, the Conservatives withdrew from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. They have gutted our environmental laws.

Is this because the Prime Minister still believes that international measures to combat climate change are a socialist plot and a hoax?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, no federal government has done more for the environment than this one. We have expanded our marine protected areas by extraordinary amounts.

For the very first time, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and we intend to continue in that direction.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, actually here are the facts. They were put before the United Nations last week by the Conservative government.

The only reason that the Conservatives can talk about a slight dip after 2000 is that they have completely destroyed the manufacturing sector in Canada. That is what they wrote word for word to the United Nations.

In fact, we have increased by one million tonnes from last year to this year the amount of greenhouse gases that we are producing in Canada.

I again quote the Prime Minister, who wrote, “Kyoto is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations.”

Is the problem not that is what he still fundamentally believes, as his backbenchers applaud it?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that, unlike Kyoto, what we need is an effective international protocol that will cause all nations and all major emitters to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. That is what we are working for internationally and that is what we are doing in Canada.

While we have in fact had economic growth in this country, we have also seen a drop in greenhouse gas emissions as well as other important actions by the government to protect land and marine protected areas. We have every intention of continuing to work in favour of our environment.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot wait any longer for the Conservative government to wake up to these issues. They have stripped protection from 99% of rivers and 99% of lakes in Canada. They have even left Canada's heritage rivers without protection, ignoring their economic, ecological, and historic significance.

Will the Prime Minister commit to reinstating protection for all Canadian waterways that used to exist under a 100-year-old piece of legislation admired around the world called the Navigable Waters Protection Act?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what the leader of the NDP should understand is the reason the Federation of Canadian Municipalities so strongly supported these changes is under previous legislation. In fact, there was no effective protection, and 98% of all projects were approved, but only after long delays and unnecessary bureaucracy.

This government is making sure we focus our actions on real environmental needs while not blocking projects that are needed by Canadian municipalities.

National Defence

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, on another topic, today we learned that the Department of National Defence was planning to claw back the danger pay of soldiers currently on duty in northern Afghanistan. The department notified the soldiers that they were taking back the money “as soon as practicable”.

After demanding soldiers pay up, the Department of National Defence explained to them as follows in pure bureaucratese, “It was therefore not a reduction in level, but rather that the established rate was never properly implemented and personnel had been overpaid.” This is the second incident in two weeks where the Conservatives have tried to shortchange soldiers who were placed in harm's way.

Why are the Conservatives once again going after our soldiers' danger pay?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, as you may know, this is a particular case where certain soldiers were paid more than they should have been because of an administrative error. That should not have been the case and is certainly not the fault of the soldiers themselves. For that reason, the minister has made it very clear they will not have to repay those amounts.

We very strongly support our soldiers. We not only support them, we have supported, through the entirety of the past decade, their mission in Afghanistan, and we will continue to support them in that dangerous—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, let us recap the situation. The Conservatives decided to cut the danger pay of soldiers posted in Kabul. However, once this came out in the media, they were forced to reverse their decision.

Next, they required soldiers posted in northern Afghanistan to pay back their danger pay. Once again, it was only when the story went public and appeared in the media that the Conservatives decided to reverse their decision, as the Prime Minister just demonstrated.

The Conservatives can blame others as much as they like, but these decisions are the Minister of National Defence's responsibility. Is he finally going to take responsibility for his blunders or is he going to admit that he has lost control of his department?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, these soldiers were overpaid because of an administrative error.

The minister clearly stated that he intervened to ensure that soldiers would not have to repay the amounts in question. Contrary to the NDP, this government wholeheartedly supports the actions, activities and missions of our troops in Afghanistan. We are very proud of them.

Employment

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the government refused to cancel tariffs that are a new tax on the middle class. However, this tax is not the only way the Conservatives are going after Canadians.

Last year, the summer employment rate for young Canadians was the worst it has been in decades.

Can the government tell us what measures it has taken this year to ensure that it will not abandon our students once again?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have been clear.

We have reduced customs tariffs by more than half a billion dollars a year for consumers. We believe that it makes no sense to give China, India and other countries special tax breaks.

I am a little surprised by the question because that member wrote to the government in 2010 asking for tax increases on such consumer goods as iPods.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, raising tariffs by $330 million a year on everyday items is going to hurt Canadians. Worse, compared to pre-recession 2006, the Canada summer jobs program now offers 24% fewer jobs to students. With youth unemployment soaring, instead of offering extra support, the government is abandoning young Canadians.

I ask again, what is the government doing to ensure that it does not let young Canadians down once again this summer?