Debates of May 22nd, 2013

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few months Canadians have heard extremely disturbing reports about the conduct of some RCMP officers over the past number of decades. That is why our government made it clear that we would work closely with the commissioner of the RCMP to take action and restore pride in Canada's national police force. That is why I introduced the enhancing RCMP accountability act that would strengthen the RCMP's ability to deal with these matters. Unfortunately, the NDP voted against it and put nothing in its place.

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Caroline O'Farrell, the first female member of the RCMP's Musical Ride, was sexually assaulted and harassed by former colleagues. Now she is suing them because government after government failed to do its job. Canadians and RCMP members deserve better. They deserve better than a bill that does not even include the words “sexual harassment”. They deserve better than a Minister who will not let the RCMP speak freely to parliamentarians.

When will the Conservatives stamp out the endemic problems within the RCMP?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome the member back to the House and congratulate her on the birth of her child.

In respect of the issue, I understand that the RCMP did not advise the officer that he could not attend the committee meeting. However, issues with respect to human resources and the management of the RCMP are the responsibility of the commissioner. I do not involve myself in the day-to-day operations of the RCMP.

Ethics

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier the minister said, “We take great issue” with this payment. That is not true. When the story of Nigel Wright's $90,000 cheque broke in the media, the Conservatives were repeatedly praising him for “ensuring taxpayers would not be on the hook”.

Why would taxpayers ever be on the hook for this? Did the Conservatives not expect Senator Duffy to pay back these ill-gotten expense gains? Who else in the Prime Minister's Office actually knew about his chief of staff's unethical and illegal gift?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister spoke to this issue at a press conference earlier today. Obviously we believe this payment was inappropriate. That is why Mr. Wright offered his resignation and that is why it was immediately accepted.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister also talked about the public wanting transparency and accountability, but that is certainly not what it is getting here.

Are we really supposed to believe that no one in the Prime Minister's Office knew that giving $90,000 to the senator was unethical and illegal? Why can the government not just be transparent for a change? On what date was the cheque issued? When will the government release a copy of this cheque to the public? Why is the Minister of Foreign Affairs not in Peru on a junket and the Prime Minister here answering these questions as he should be doing?

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The member knows that she cannot point out the presence or absence of members. It is a long-standing convention.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Nigel Wright is a Harvard-trained lawyer, a Bay Street deal-maker, and yet we are talking about potential allegations of breach of the Criminal Code.

Has the Prime Minister or anyone in the Prime Minister's Office asked Nigel Wright for a copy of the agreement that he made with Mike Duffy? Will the Prime Minister table the document if he has it? If the Prime Minister does not have the document, why has he not asked for a briefing on what went down?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear. No one in this government is aware of any legal document with respect to this payment.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 10 at 4:15 p.m., the Minister of Immigration tried to pass on some bad news in his Friday statement in the hope that no one would notice. Although he lifted the hold that he himself had placed on immigration applications, he changed the rules, and now people will have to pay more than ever for parents or grandparents to be reunited with their families in Canada. Additionally, only a small number of applicants will be accepted next year.

Why is the minister putting up barriers to family reunification?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to family reunification. In fact, thanks to our plan for faster family reunification, we are on track to cut the backlog and wait times in half so families will be reunited with their parents and grandparents.

In 2012-13, we are admitting the highest level of parents and grandparents in 20 years.

Justice

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Langley, families have been forced to endure constant turmoil when the sex offender of their child was permitted to serve house arrest in their neighbourhood.

In one case, a sex offender served his sentence across the street from the young victim. In another case, it was right next door. This is why I introduced Bill C-489, the safe at home bill. This bill would prohibit child sex offenders from coming within two kilometres of their victim's home.

Will the Minister of Justice please inform the House as to the government's position on this important bill?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Langley for standing up for the rights of victims. I am proud to indicate that the government fully supports this legislation and I urge all members of the House to do so as well.

The legislation is consistent with our past efforts to crack down on violent offenders. For instance, we have already eliminated the use of house arrest for child sexual offences.

Canadians gave us a strong mandate to promote the rights of victims in Canada. The safe at home bill from the member for Langley would do precisely that.

Ethics

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I spent Saturday afternoon going door to door on Lilac Avenue and Dale Drive in Charlottetown and the feedback was unanimous: disgust and embarrassment.

The Prime Minister should never have appointed his buddy from Ottawa—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Charlottetown has the floor.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, it was unanimous. The Prime Minister should never have appointed his buddy from Ottawa to a Prince Edward Island seat. Mike Duffy is now on the ropes and, for reasons still unknown, a full scale cover-up is under way with deals done in secret to protect him. Through all of this, the Prime Minister has shown very poor judgment.

Will the government apologize to the people of Prince Edward Island for the insult of this senate appointment?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister spoke to that issue at a press conference with journalists earlier today.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, when a senator needs help, the Prime Minister's Office rushes to his side with a $90,000 cheque.

However, when pyrrhotite victims ask for help, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development tell them over and over again that the federal government will not provide assistance because it is a provincial responsibility.

Yet the federal government did help pyrite victims in the past, as it should. Just today, the National Assembly of Quebec voted unanimously to call on the federal government to do its part.

Will the ministers stop evading the issue once and for all and help pyrrhotite victims?

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

Mr. Speaker, the pyrrhotite problem falls under provincial jurisdiction.

In August 2011, the Government of Quebec launched a provincial program to provide financial assistance to owners dealing with the damage caused by pyrrhotite.

People who are concerned about pyrrhotite should simply contact the Société d'habitation du Québec.

Health

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians. Today, Health Canada issued recalls for several novelty magnet sets that contain small powerful magnets, which can be easily swallowed by children.

Could the Minister of Health inform the House on what our Conservative government is doing to protect the health and safety of Canadians and their families?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I announced last month, our government is taking action to support the health and safety of Canadians and their families. Canadians expect that the products they find on store shelves are safe. It is clear that some products containing small powerful magnets pose a danger to children, so we have taken action to have them removed from the marketplace.

As Health Minister and as a mother, I am proud to say that our government has made supporting and protecting families a priority.

Housing

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

Mr. Speaker, FRAPRU recently released a report prepared by a committee of 14 experts who consulted 200 organizations and over 100 individuals. According to this report, a quarter of a million households in Quebec have critical housing needs.

Will the minister agree to have this report tabled in the House? Will she consider its recommendations and will she finally renew operating agreements with social housing providers? I have repeatedly asked this question—could I get an actual answer this time?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear. Economic action plan 2013 renewed the homelessness partnership strategy and it renewed the affordable housing agreements. It will continue to deliver new homes for Canadians across the country.

We are very focused on ensuring that CMHC as well as our housing responsibilities are dealt with. I encourage the opposition opposite to support our budget and support economic action plan 2013 so Canadians can have a roof over their heads.

Employment Insurance

[Jean-François Fortin, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not satisfied with going after the unemployed with its misguided reform, the federal government now wants to isolate them by cutting off verbal contact between public officials and the organizations that have helped the unemployed in Quebec for at least 30 years. From now on, the Boucherville centre can receive only faxes and mail. No one is identified as a contact, and there is no guarantee of a reply. Indeed, the Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses is still waiting for a reply to a fax sent last Thursday.

Why would the government want to isolate the unemployed other than to weaken them?