Debates of April 30th, 2013

Search and Rescue

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I note that what the Auditor General did find was that the system is working. He deemed it adequate; albeit, there is room for improvement. We are committed to that improvement.

The Auditor General also noted that we have in fact, in recent years, increased the number of rescue staff and vessels.

While doing so, I also note that the member and her party continually opposed the investment that we have made in the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the minister either does not understand the Auditor General's report or is just being wilful.

The Auditor General's report clearly lays out the government's incompetence on search and rescue. There is still no national policy, there is a serious personnel shortage, the information system is “near the breaking point”, and the Conservatives' failure to replace the aging aircraft is dangerous.

Canadians need world-class search and rescue. Instead, Conservatives are offering world-class mismanagement.

Is anyone over there ready to apologize for the mishandling of this vital service?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we thank the Auditor General for his work. I note, again, the trumped-up rhetoric from the member opposite. He overlooks the fact that the Auditor General said that search and rescue is working. Search and rescue is in fact an area in which we have made significant investments.

I note, as others have, that Canada is the most challenging country on the planet when it comes to search and rescue operations. It includes 18 million square kilometres of sparsely settled, austere terrain, the largest coastline in the world and the most extreme weather conditions and, yet, our SAR Techs continue to get the job done.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Conservatives have mismanaged the truth and reconciliation process as well. The Auditor General reports that establishing the history of residential schools is a crucial part of achieving final agreements with survivors and allowing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to do its work. However, fighting between departments has delayed this happening.

Conservatives must accept that this work is necessary to finally deal with this tragic chapter in our history. What is the minister doing to end the internal fighting before time runs out?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as indicated earlier, our government is committed to a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of Indian residential schools. That is why the Prime Minister made this historic apology in 2008, referred to earlier, and why we have, so far, delivered to the commission over 3.5 million documents to achieve the very objective that she mentioned.

This is an ongoing process. We are committed to continue working with the commission.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the commission's mandate is too important to be ignored by the Conservatives.

Yet that is what the Auditor General says in his report. Thousands of children lost their lives in those residential schools. My brother was one of them.

To work on reconciliation together, we must stop politicizing such a delicate process. We have 15 months left.

Can the minister rise today and make a solemn commitment to hand over all the documents the commission requires?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, he is talking about politicizing the issue, but that is exactly what he is doing by ignoring the facts.

The fact is that the Canadian government's commitment is clearly reflected in the Indian residential schools settlement agreement. As I indicated earlier, we have already handed over more than 3,500,000 documents to the commission, and there will be more to come.

I personally met with the commissioners last week in Montreal. I assured them of our support. We will continue to work on meeting Canada's obligations under that agreement.

Employment Insurance

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, moving on to another topic, the four Atlantic premiers have decided to do what the federal government refuses to do with EI reform.

Provincial NDP, Liberal and Conservative governments have joined forces to do the consultations and impact studies that this government did not do.

They are calling for a moratorium until these studies are complete. The minister has spent more time ignoring the Atlantic provinces than listening to them.

What will she do now?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that employment insurance is there for the people who paid into it, who are without work and who need the support.

As a government, our priorities are jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity. The cornerstone of our plan is skills development and job creation, through measures such as the job grant.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard all the excuses before, but the real Conservative record is one of failing to protect Canadian jobs.

The government has made a mess of EI and even timed the changes to specifically target Atlantic seasonal industries. All Atlantic premiers, two of whom are Conservatives, are demanding a halt to the changes because they “impede our economic growth”.

Why will the government not shelve its reckless changes and instead work with the premiers on a plan that actually creates jobs?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that EI is there for people who paid into the system, who are without work and who need the support.

Our government's top priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Frankly, the cornerstone of economic action 2013 is skills training and job creation through measures like the Canada job grant.

Employment

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the unemployed get targeted, while Canadian jobs go unprotected. The government has its priorities completely backward.

Conservative changes to the temporary foreign worker program have thrown the doors wide open to the displacement of Canadian jobs. After being vilified in the media, the Conservatives announced that they were rolling back some of the changes they made that weakened the program.

When will they fix the labour market information that has led to the inaccurate labour market opinions and when will they finally allow an independent investigation of the temporary foreign worker program?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition continues to ask for more temporary foreign workers, while providing no solutions as to how to create jobs for Canadians first.

By contrast, our government is taking balanced, decisive action for Canadian workers by reforming the temporary foreign worker program and making sure that it operates in the best interests of Canadian workers.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when he is in the House, the minister does not understand what is going on, and when he leaves the House, he says he will cut something that never even existed.

The proposed changes will not solve the systemic problems with the temporary foreign worker program. At best, these changes will respond to the most recent crisis created by the Conservatives when they relaxed the program rules last year.

Will the minister admit to his mistake and launch an independent investigation into the program?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, NDP members continue to ask for more foreign workers in their own ridings, while providing no solutions to create jobs for Canadians. There will certainly be reforms to the temporary foreign worker program, but any reforms will be in the best interests of Canadians.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, not only have the Conservatives mismanaged the temporary foreign worker program, there are also serious concerns with the intra-company transfer program, a program that does not even require employers to prove that no qualified Canadian is available.

The U.S. and Britain have been cracking down on abuse of their foreign worker programs, but yesterday the Minister of Immigration just shrugged off concerns. I ask him again, will he protect jobs for Canadians and investigate problems with these intra-company transfers?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, as the changes announced yesterday underscore, we are taking measures to ensure that Canadians always get the first available opportunity for jobs.

We are living in an increasingly globalized economy. If a Canadian auto parts manufacturer has someone with specific skills in the United States it needs on an emergency basis to fix that equipment, we are not going to delay the manufacturer for months with paperwork. This works reciprocally. There are tens of thousands of Canadians who work abroad on intra-company transfers.

We want to make sure the program rules are respected. If there are abuses, we will certainly investigate those and crack down on them.

Taxation

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the steady increase in taxes on credit unions has destroyed attempts to stimulate the economy in the regions.

In Quebec, financial co-operatives such as Desjardins are vital to the economy and middle-class families. Phasing out the supplementary deduction by 2017 will result in an estimated loss of $80 million.

How does the minister plan to make up for this drain on capital in the regions?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, credit unions still have access to the lower small business tax rate. That has not changed.

In fact, Quebec eliminated a comparable subsidy in 2003, also recognizing that it was no longer fair under the current system. This is a tax benefit that was designed for small credit unions. It was not designed for large credit unions that now rival our banks.

Employment Insurance

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an embarrassing day for the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. Not only did she have to reverse the changes to the temporary foreign worker program that she put in just a year prior, but then four more provincial premiers lined up against the changes that are being made to the EI program.

She said that she has consulted. I think it is more like she has insulted. She has insulted seasonal workers. She has insulted business owners in seasonal industries. She has insulted municipal leaders who know the impact that these changes are going to have on their communities. Why does she not start consulting?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, we want to make sure that EI is there for people when they need it, when they have lost their job through no fault of their own. In fact, our top priority is the creation of jobs and economic growth that leads to long-term prosperity. The cornerstone of economic action plan 2013 is the creation of jobs and offering training through programs like the new Canada job grant.

If the hon. member truly wants to support Canadian workers, he and his party should support the budget.

Taxation

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the federal budget adds GST to certain health care services. For example, Canadian victims of crime must now pay GST on x-rays and lab work required to establish their case in court. Can the minister confirm if this new tax will also apply to medical lab work for couples struggling with fertility issues?

Is there nothing off limits from Conservative tax hikes on struggling middle-class families?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we need to draw a distinction between health care services, health care treatment and medical legal expenses. The member opposite is talking about medical legal expenses, and issues of that type, and not about treatment for people in Canada.

Employment

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have once again tabled a budget that actually harms Canadians.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported yesterday that budget 2013 weakens Canada's GDP and cuts Canadian jobs. Now, omnibus 3.0 pushes ahead with tax hikes on credit unions and small businesses, and further reduces scrutiny on foreign takeovers.

Why are Conservatives pushing ahead with their job-killing agenda that harms Canadian families and businesses?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her question about the economy. I am pleased to report that Statistics Canada today announced that Canada's economy grew by 0.3% in January and February, surpassing analysts' expectations.

We have the soundest banks in the world. We have the best growth in the G7. We have the best credit rating in the world. It is the best place to live in the world.