Debates of May 21st, 2013

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, the social security tribunal is exactly where party friends are appointed.

Employment insurance is supposed to protect regional seasonal economies across Canada, but for the Conservatives, it is just a big bureaucracy where they put party friends.

The employment insurance reform could have a serious impact on employees who depend on job sharing to make a living. There is much confusion even in New Brunswick about who can be employed in the public service and who cannot.

Instead of focusing on partisan appointments, will the Conservatives work with the provinces to come up with solutions to their fiasco?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, we have put forward reforms to employment insurance to better connect Canadians with available jobs, and this is something we have been focused on like a laser, as a certain minister has said in the past, to make sure Canadians have opportunities. Let us be very clear. The reforms to employment insurance, making sure we move forward with the Canada jobs grant, the 5,000 new internships that are available to young Canadians, making sure we increase the enabling accessibility fund so that individuals with disabilities have opportunities to be employed; these are all things we are doing to better connect Canadians with jobs so they can be prosperous in the future, unlike the opposition.

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of seasonal workers are wondering how their industries are going to survive the Conservative attack. However, while they are worrying about the future, the Conservatives are advertising a job training program that does not even exist. Based on the Conservatives' inability to work respectfully with the provinces, it probably never will.

Why would the Conservatives rather waste tax dollars on false advertising than actually fix the mess they have made out of the EI system? How much are they throwing away on this misleading self-promotion?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, my question for the member opposite is: Why will they not get on top of promoting opportunities for individuals to have jobs? That is exactly what this is doing. We have put forward opportunities for Canadians to have jobs or gain the skills so they can be employed in what is available. The opposition members continue to vote against these things, whether it was the budget, economic action plan 2012, or in their case, already stating that they will be voting against economic action plan 2013.

Bad on you. We want to support Canadians getting jobs. I wonder why the opposition will not get on board.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I will just remind the parliamentary secretary to address her comments through the Chair, not directly to her colleagues.

The hon. member for Kildonan—St. Paul.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for more than a quarter century, aboriginal women living on reserve have been without access to the legal rights they deserve.

Could the Minister for Status of Women update the House on the actions this government has taken to address this inequality that has stood for far too long?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the House that last week I announced a project in northern Alberta that will support 200 aboriginal girls between the ages of 8 and 14 in addressing violence and abuse. We are working in partnership with representatives from the Bigstone Cree Nation Women's Emergency Shelter, the Bigstone Community School, the Bigstone Cree Nation family and children services and also the RCMP.

Today we have gone even further. Today the Standing Committee on the Status of Women finished its clause-by-clause review of Bill S-2, and we all know that in situations of family violence it would allow judges to enforce protection orders to remove a violent partner from the home. This is an incredible day for aboriginal women and girls, and I want to thank the Conservative members from the status of women committee for getting the job done.

Public Works and Government Services

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister could do something to support aboriginal businesses.

These Conservatives came to power promising transparency and accountability, saying rigged contracts were a thing of the past. It is obvious in the wake of mounting court cases that not much has changed. Just last year Veritaaq pleaded guilty to bid rigging. Public Works and Government Services then awarded it new contracts worth millions of dollars. Under the Conservatives' new alleged tough rules, the company would still not be blacklisted. The government is favouring bid riggers over honest Canadian businesses.

Is this the fairness to business and fiscal accountability Canadians were promised?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the case. The member knows we have implemented and developed a tough integrity framework to ensure companies that are convicted of crimes cannot do business with public works and are being banned from bidding on contracts. Other departments have also begun to implement these same tough integrity measures, including Defence Construction Canada. In the case of CRG, which received a contract from Defence Construction Canada, I contacted DCC myself, and I understand it is applying the same integrity framework that public works has applied to its own contracting and it will be banning this company from bidding on any contracts with it as well.

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have left the door open so that companies found guilty of collusion can bid on public contracts. Two companies received 500 contracts from the Conservative government after being found guilty of collusion for bid rigging. Unbelievable.

How is it that companies found guilty can still bid on public contracts? When will the Conservatives close the door once and for all on companies that cheat and misuse taxpayers' money?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, we have shut the door on this particular company, CRG, which has been convicted of a crime. We have developed a tough integrity framework to ensure that any company that has been convicted of a crime or any illegal activity cannot bid on contracts with public works and will be banned from bidding.

Other departments have also begun to implement these same measures, including Defence Construction Canada. It has assured me that it is implementing the same tough measures and that this company in question will, from now on, be banned from bidding on any contracts with Defence Construction Canada.

Government Advertising

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have pushed the bar even lower by advertising a job program that does not even exist. Legislation is still months away, and the provinces have not even agreed to it yet. Advertising experts are saying this is downright misleading.

Why are they spending $190,000 a minute on Hockey Night in Canada ads for a program that does not even exist?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Speaker, I think I have been relatively clear already today. We are about creating jobs and making sure Canadians have the skills they need to fill those jobs that are available. We are providing an opportunity for employers to be linked to those employees, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are making sure Canadians know about the skills opportunities that are available to them. We are making sure employers know this grant is available to them as well.

I encourage the opposition to get on board and make sure Canadians receive the skills they need so they can fill those jobs and we can grow our economy, because if they do not get on board, I guess we will just have to do it ourselves.

Library and Archives Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, anyone appointed by the Conservatives clearly enjoys playing with taxpayers' money. After what happened with Senator Duffy, Senator Wallin and Senator Brazeau, now we learn that el señor Daniel Caron also treated himself, spending $170,000 of taxpayers' money at the Rideau Club and on trips to Puerto Rico and Australia in 2011 and 2012. Meanwhile, at Library and Archives Canada, he was gutting important programs and muzzling archivists with a code of conduct that was controversial, to say the least.

Will the Conservatives finally do the right thing and appoint a serious and dedicated chief librarian at Library and Archives Canada?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I made it very clear both in the House and privately to Mr. Daniel Caron when he was president of Library and Archives Canada that his spending was irresponsible and out of line with what taxpayers expect from the president of Library and Archives Canada. I communicated that to him directly. The next day he offered his resignation, and I was not sad when he did that.

Ethics

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, ordinary Canadians do not have access to rich Conservative friends to pay their debts. A week ago the government was calling Mike Duffy an “honourable man”, showing “leadership” and doing “the right thing”. The Prime Minister knows that a secret payment of $90,000 was made by his most senior official to shut down a forensic audit of Duffy's illegal expenses, to pervert the Senate's official report on those expenses and to block any further investigation.

With whom and when did this corruption begin, and will the government table all emails pertaining to this insidious scheme?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it will not come as any surprise that I reject much of the preamble of the question the member opposite raises.

Let me say this. A committee in the other place that was looking into this brought in some outside auditors. The conclusion of that report was that these claims never should have been made.

No one in the government, certainly no one in this place, rejects that conclusion. I understand that in the report it was mentioned that these expenses had been reimbursed, as is what had happened.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this is about unethical, possibly illegal, behaviour in the Prime Minister's inner circle.

All of last week and again today the Prime Minister showed nothing but contempt for ordinary Canadians: no answers, no accountability, no apology.

Ordinary Canadians do not have a sugar daddy in the Prime Minister's office. Ordinary Canadians pay their debts. Ordinary Canadians do not get to blockade an audit, whitewash a Senate report and pocket $90,000.

Who gave the orders for this Conservative corruption? Table the emails.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, that is a bunch of wild accusations and conclusions from the member for Wascana. I am not surprised. This is not the first time.

Let me say this. There are two independent bodies reviewing this matter. Let them conduct that review. We look forward to hearing the findings of that review.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we have asked the government to come clean on Senategate. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear the truth from the Conservatives.

Canadians deserve answers. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is repeatedly saying, “two independent authorities” are looking into the matter. Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us who these authorities are, and is one of them the RCMP? If not, why not?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the caucus of the House leader of the official opposition has made two referrals to two independent bodies. That is the answer.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs will not even answer such a simple, straightforward question calls in the idea that the Conservatives will not be accountable.

The fact is that the Prime Minister called the cops on Helena Guergis and Bruce Carson.

Canadians deserve better. Canadians deserve the truth. Given the seriousness of these allegations, will he call the police on Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy, yes or no?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been very clear. It is a tremendous honour to serve as a parliamentarian, and each and every person who is given that privilege, that responsibility, should be standing up for the public interest and not their own private interests. If they want to do that, they should be out the door.

That is the view of this party, that is the view of this government and that is the view of this Prime Minister.

Justice

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, last week Vince Li, the man found not criminally responsible for beheading and cannibalizing Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus, was granted escorted leave by the independent Manitoba Criminal Code review board into the communities of Selkirk, Winnipeg and Lockport.

In my view, this is an insult to the family of Tim McLean. The review board did not take into consideration the rights of the victim in its decision, nor did it put public safety first.

Canadians expect their government to keep them safe from such high-risk individuals. Could the Minister of Justice please inform this House what action the government is taking to address the concerns of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank this member for his advocacy on this issue on behalf of his constituents.

Our government has responded to the concerns of victims and provincial attorneys general by introducing the not criminally responsible reform act.

The legislation would ensure public safety and that the rights of victims come first. It would also create a new high risk designation to protect the public from certain individuals found not criminally responsible.

This government has always put victims first, and we always will.