Debates of May 31st, 2013

Government Appointments

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Arthur Porter was arrested Monday in Panama on charges of money laundering and fraud. Yesterday, documents from the Panama national police revealed allegations that Porter received financial compensation for selling information during the Montreal university health centre bidding process. Despite charges and allegations dating back years, Conservatives still refuse to take responsibility. Why is Arthur Porter still in the Privy Council?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we would like to congratulate the authorities for a successful arrest and, while we will not comment on specific cases, we can say that anyone involved in corruption must face the full force of the law.

The appointment of Mr. Porter was approved by both the former leader of the Liberal Party and the former leader of the New Democratic Party. Mr. Porter resigned two years ago, and the fact is that these allegations have no connection to his role with the federal government.

[Jamie Nicholls, NDP, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of these vapid and limp responses from Conservatives.

To fight his extradition, Arthur Porter has hired a lawyer, Ricardo Bilonick, who was convicted of drug trafficking in 1991. These are the kinds of people the Conservatives are allowing to remain members of the Privy Council.

Allegations that Mr. Porter sold information on the construction of the McGill University Health Centre during the tendering phase were confirmed yesterday.

Will the Conservatives finally admit that they made a very serious error in judgment when they appointed him?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, again, while we will not comment on specific cases, we do believe that those who are involved in corruption and cover-up should face the full force of the law.

That does raise the question why the leader of the NDP, for 17 years, hid a sleazy bribe that was offered to him. This is unacceptable to Canadians. It is certainly unacceptable on this side of the House.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, federal correctional officers have now been without a contract for three years. Three years is a long time.

Instead of sitting down at the bargaining table, the Conservatives are focusing their efforts on budget cuts to correctional services, which threatens the safety of staff.

When will the minister negotiate in good faith with federal correctional officers?

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and for Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to respect the confidentiality and legal obligations of collective bargaining. The government is negotiating in good faith to reach reasonable agreements that are fair to employers, employees and taxpayers. We thank Correctional Service officers for the important work they do to keep Canadians safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, they can try to spin things however they like, but the reality is that the President of the Treasury Board has been dragging his feet for three years and is refusing to negotiate.

It is also troubling to hear that Public Safety employees are the latest victims of the campaign to muzzle public servants. As of today, no employee is allowed to speak publicly without the minister's prior approval.

What is the minister so afraid of?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Again, Mr. Speaker, it is completely reasonable for the Minister of Public Safety, who is accountable to Parliament and to Canadians, to know what his civil servants and his bureaucrats are communicating, completely appropriate.

What is not appropriate is the leader of the NDP, for 17 years, hiding a bribe that was offered to him. Canadians see that as completely inappropriate.

The Economy

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while we are working hard in Parliament to implement Canada's economic action plan and its job-creating measures like the Canada job grant and our new infrastructure plan, the NDP seems only interested in opposing these pro-growth and job-creating measures. While Canada has seen more than 900,000 net new jobs created since the end of the recession, the NDP wants to kill jobs with reckless spending and higher taxes.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance please update the House on the state of Canada's economy?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

With pleasure, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member who just spoke for his efforts to help us ensure the long-term prosperity of our country.

Here is the good news. I am pleased to report that Statistics Canada announced that our economy grew by 2.5% in the first quarter of 2013. On a special note, this is the strongest quarterly growth in nearly two years and the seventh straight quarter of positive economic growth. It shows we are on the right track. We are going to continue on this track. Economic action plan 2013 is going to lead us down that low-tax agenda that we have been on for some time. We just need the NDP and the Liberals to get on board.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, I hate to burst the hon. member's bubble. The most recent employment insurance monitoring and assessment report shows that the job situation in Canada has become more precarious. In 2011 and 2012, temporary work arrangements accounted for 13.7% of all employees, the largest such share since comparable data were recorded 15 years ago.

Why are the Conservatives butchering employment insurance with a policy that does not really reflect this new reality?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. This government has created 900,000 net new jobs since the downturn of the recession. Ninety per cent of those jobs are full-time jobs, 75% of them in the private sector. This government, as was just mentioned by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, has had an increase in growth over the last seven quarters. It was 2.5% in the last quarter alone.

We are doing a great job creating jobs. We want every Canadian to be connected to a job. I encourage the opposition to get on board.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was supposed to dredge the Tabusintac channel one week before the tragic event of May 18 that cost the lives of three people. Even after the dredging began, four boats got stuck in the channel for several hours on Monday and the rest remained offshore. The task of dredging was assigned to the private sector as a result of budget cuts at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Ever since then, there have been delays in cleanup operations ever year.

What are the Conservatives going to do to deal with the chronic blockage problems in New Brunswick's channels and gullies? That is the question fishers are asking the government.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and for the Asia-Pacific Gateway]

Mr. Speaker, of course, our hearts go out to the communities, and we express our condolences to the families of the fishermen who perished at sea.

The issue, of course, was whether the dredging was delayed because of weather. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating this incident. My understanding is that the incident itself was due to bad weather and heavy seas and that the incident took place outside of the area that is to be dredged.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2010 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched its strategic plan, “2015: Everyone, Every way”. It was announced that the corporation would be making a strong comeback in remote areas. In fact, the CBC just eliminated a third of technician positions in Matane, Rimouski and Sept-Îles. Employees fear that these stations will become empty shells at the mercy of the corporate head office. There is good reason to fear a decline in the production of local and regional content.

The government must stop abandoning the regions. Can it commit to stop making budget cuts to the CBC, which have a disproportionate impact on regional stations?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, CBC Radio-Canada receives almost $1 billion in taxpayer funding. It has committed to undertaking its plan for 2015, and it will continue to provide services in all regions of the country and in both official languages.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to eliminating the technician positions, in June the CBC will cancel the program Mer et Monde, one of few regional radio broadcasts. Moreover, CBC television has simply stopped broadcasting in my region of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

The Conservatives' $115-million cuts to the CBC compromise the quality of information and the cultural offer in an area already weakened by job losses. The people in my region feel abandoned as a result of the cuts to the CBC.

What will the Conservative government tell them?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Again, Mr. Speaker, CBC Radio-Canada receives almost $1 billion worth of taxpayer contributions each year. The president of the CBC has continued to say that it will continue with its plan for 2015. That will be to provide services in both official languages in all regions of the country.

Canada Post

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in November 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that Canada Post had to honour pay equity and compensate more than 6,000 employees. A year and a half later, the matter is still not settled. When I raised the question, I was told that Canada Post is an independent corporation that manages its own human resources. However, in 2011, the Conservatives did not hesitate to intervene, and if Bill C-60 is passed, they will not stop intervening.

Why do they interfere in Canada Post's affairs when it suits them, but they do not intervene to ensure compliance with a ruling by the highest court in the land?

[Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Minister of State (Transport)]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that we fulfill whatever the court decides.

Right now, in this particular case, the Government of Canada cannot interfere, because it is an arm's length crown corporation. However, I am told by Canada Post that they are working very diligently to get this matter resolved, because they have to.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, with Canada's high unemployment rate, thousands of students and recent graduates are forced to accept unpaid internships, just for the work experience. This is not only a big issue for young Canadians. It is a big issue for their families, their parents and grandparents, who are paying the bills.

There is a problem in that Stats Canada does not track unpaid internships in Canada. As the saying goes, “You can't manage what you can't or don't measure”. Will the government take the first step and direct Stats Canada to track the number of young Canadians who are working today in unpaid internships?

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to young Canadians, economic action plan 2013 is second to none. We are creating 5,000 new paid internships to make sure that young Canadians get that work experience they need. We have put in place the Canada job grant. At its peak, 130,000 Canadians will benefit from this training. Just last month, we announced Canada student jobs—36,000 jobs for young Canadians.

We are doing our part. We encourage the opposition to get on board.

International Co-operation

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

Mr. Speaker, first the Conservatives posted partisan attacks on the CIDA website, and now they are neglecting the International Development Research Centre. It seems that 70% of the seats on the board of governors are now vacant and the board cannot even make quorum and do its work.

The IDRC is recognized internationally for its research on developing countries.

Will the minister agree to make non-partisan appointments that are necessary for the IDRC to carry out its mandate?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the thoughtful question by my counterpart from the New Democratic Party.

Indeed, we have identified a number of candidates to put forward for nomination to serve on the board of the IDRC. I think she will be very pleased with all of them, as she should be with all the appointments this government makes.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $4-billion plan to invest in the Palestinian private sector to help restart the peace process. In contrast, Canada's aid commitment to the Palestinian authority expired in March, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs has taken a “wait and see” approach in terms of renewal.

This aid that was very successful in helping the Palestinian people and that contributed to stabilization there is something we think will help advance peace in the Middle East, particularly in helping the Palestinian people.

Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs actually confirm that he will advance the cause of the Palestinian people and renew the funds?