Debates of May 1st, 2013

Search and Rescue

[Keith Ashfield, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, as indicated in the statement on March 28, the Canadian Coast Guard will delay consolidation of the Quebec region until such time as we are confident that bilingual capacity is ensured for that joint rescue centre.

The safety of mariners remains a top priority for us. We will do nothing to jeopardize that safety.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is no wonder the Conservatives are in hot water. The Auditor General said in his report that when it comes to search and rescue, the Conservatives just do not have a plan. That is why we are seeing irresponsible closures in Quebec City and St. John's. That is why helicopters and availability are inadequate, and planes are not being replaced. That is why staff had to resort to Google maps to manage the search process.

As the Auditor General said, this is a question of life and death. Who is going to take responsibility for this?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, he also described the response of search and rescue technicians as adequately responding to those SAR incidents.

That is not good enough. We recognize that. We accept his recommendations. In fact, with those recommendations, we have already begun work on the issues. We have already begun working with other stakeholders, including other departments. We will continue to do so.

We will be assessing our search and rescue governance structure at all federal levels, as well as working with the other jurisdictions to ensure that search and rescue continues to improve for this country.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, as opposition continued to build on the Conservatives' planned cuts to the cadet glider program, a gag order was sent ordering cadet corps members not to share opinions or facts on the glider program. We are not talking national security here. It is a budget cut to a program for kids. A clear decision to end CF delivery of the air cadet glider program was communicated to the cadet organization.

Now, in light of the minister's statement issued today, will he confirm that the Conservatives have reversed the proposed cuts and that the air cadet glider program will continue? Will they confirm that they have reversed the proposed cuts—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for St. John's East.

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

Mr. Speaker, will he confirm that they have reversed the proposed cuts and that the air cadet glider program will continue to be delivered by the Canadian Forces as before?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I think I addressed this fabrication two days ago.

Since coming to office, our government has made increases to the cadet program each and every year. As I said yesterday, the cadet program is one of the finest that we have for young Canadians. It is a program which many Canadians, in fact some members of this House, have benefited from. It is a terrific program that we continue to support and will continue to invest in.

Taxation

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, suppose Dr. Evil were thinking of ways to trip up the Canadian economy to make life harder for the middle class and prevent our youth from getting jobs. One way he would be doing that would be to shaft one million small businesses, by raising payroll taxes again and again, by slapping a tax hike on their dividends. Oh, but wait, that is what the Conservative Minister of Finance has just done.

Who really designed these tax hikes for small businesses that will be hurting middle-class Canadians?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite asks about the economy, I am sure the member wanted to take note that Canada's economy grew by .3% in January and February, surpassing analysts' expectations and emphasizing our focus on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. With respect to taxes, it is our government that brought in tax relief for Canadians, tax relief by cutting the GST.

The question for the Liberals is why they are arguing for a special break for Chinese companies.

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

Mr. Speaker, a question for the Conservatives would be why are they adding GST to certain health care services? Yesterday, the Minister of Finance refused to deny that he is adding GST to the cost of lab work for couples struggling with fertility issues. Now the Canadian Psychological Association is worried that the budget is going to add the GST to psychological assessments.

How could the Conservatives possibly justify taxing mental health services in Canada?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, health care services have always been exempt from GST in Canada. They remain exempt. The changes are with respect to legal and insurance expenses, and they are distinct from medical treatment for health purposes.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, hidden new Conservative taxes on small businesses, $550 million every year, hurting the middle class; hidden new Conservative payroll taxes, $600 million every year, hurting the middle class; hidden new Conservative tariff taxes on everything from school supplies to the kitchen sink, $333 million every year, hurting the middle class.

Why is the government nailing middle-class Canadians with more than $1.5 billion in hidden new Conservative taxes every single year?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to reduce taxes. In fact, it is incredible to hear the Liberals talk about taxes after they opposed everything we have done to reduce taxes, including taxes for small business. Instead of fighting for Canadians, the Liberals are fighting for special jobs and special breaks for companies from China. Under our leadership, Canadian families are saving over $3,200 per year on average in taxes.

International Co-operation

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found that the Conservatives are failing to ensure that $2.9 billion of Canada's development assistance is meeting the criteria under the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act. The accountability act is the law; it is not an option. This is part of a continuing pattern of mismanagement under the minister.

Does he agree with the Auditor General's findings, and will he commit to complying with the law?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, we are complying with the law and we are doing it in a very responsible way. However, we do accept the recommendations of the Auditor General in his report, and our government will continue to demonstrate how Canadian taxpayer investments are achieving tangible results for those most in need.

We are competent, capable and are doing exactly what we are supposed to do to ensure that Canadian taxpayers are equally served to those in greater need, for which the money is dedicated.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is unable to abide by the law when it comes to handing out international aid.

What is worse, according to the Auditor General, CIDA's reports are not transparent and the annual development report is not specific enough.

The auditor confirmed what we have been saying all along: the minister is not running his department properly.

What concrete action will the minister take to abide by the law?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, that is a figment of the hon. member's imagination. I do not think I need any lessons from that member about upholding the law, which we are in fact doing in each and every circumstance.

Our efforts on the international level of assistance and development are certainly well entrenched. We are receiving appreciation from countries and others who are receiving our aid. Obviously there are some issues that we need to deal with, and we will, but to say we are not observing the law or acting otherwise is irresponsible.

Foreign Affairs

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservative management of international affairs is getting more embarrassing by the day.

Canada has been disengaging more and more since its disgraceful failure to obtain a seat on the UN Security Council, and major world powers have been handling global peace and security in the meantime.

Recognizing that the Conservatives' bad policies are hurting our chances, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that Canada would not make another attempt to get a seat.

Why is he ducking his international responsibilities? When will things change?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's principled foreign policy is not for sale for a Security Council seat. We are aggressively working on humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable, including Syria. We are taking real leadership when it comes to standing up against the evil that is Iran. No one is standing up stronger against the regime in Colombo, Sri Lanka than this Prime Minister and this government. Canadians can finally be proud of their government on foreign policy.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he is fine to go along and get along with the dictators in Bahrain, but he will not fight for a seat on the Security Council. Every priority of Canada's foreign policy, from a nuclear Iran to chemical weapons in Syria, is handled at the Security Council. This minister is admitting that he will not even try to win back our seat at the most powerful decision-making body in the world.

Does he want to be known as the minister who just gave up on Canada's most important tool to influence global affairs? Is that what he is saying: give up, quit?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will say what I am going to give up; I am going to give up on this critic.

This government took the principled stand to close our embassy, break off relations with Iran and to declare it a terrorist state. This member came out against them, only to be undermined and counteracted by his own leader. His own leader supported this government, and he did not.

This government is always prepared to stand up to do what is right, to speak up on behalf of Canadian values, to speak up on behalf of Canadian interests. That is something that the New Democrats will never understand. They are with the go along to get along crowd.

Justice

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Mr. Speaker, bullying is a great concern to many Canadian families and their communities, and today is the National Day to End Bullying. To help raise awareness and end relationship violence, our government recently partnered with the Canadian Red Cross and Sheldon Kennedy's group, Respect Group Inc., to create an online educational workshop aimed at promoting healthy relationships for Canadian youth.

Can the Minister of Justice please inform this House of other steps our government is taking to help prevent bullying?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we all have a stake in keeping our children safe online. This is why I have called for an expeditious review of the Criminal Code to identify any possible gaps with respect to cyberbullying or the distribution of intimate images. We will continue to work with the provinces to come up with a solution in this area, but, again, this is consistent with our efforts to stand up for victims across this country, and that is what we will continue to do.

Employment

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about youth unemployment in the month of March. In Quebec City, it was 11.6%; in Saguenay, it was 13.5%; in Montreal, it was 14.2%; and in Trois-Rivières, it was an astonishing 15%.

The Conservatives keep telling us not to worry because they have taken action. Still, unemployment rates are not going down, young people are feeling the pinch of the economic crisis more than any other group, and the employment outlook is a lot less rosy than the minister's glasses.

What is the magic number that will spur the Conservatives to action? An unemployment rate of 20%, perhaps?