Debates of May 6th, 2013

Freedom of the Press

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

Mr. Speaker, doing a review is not enough. It is time to act. If the Conservatives had gotten the job done on search and rescue, the Auditor General would not have had to sound the alarm.

On another matter, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence a simple question. Friday was International Press Freedom Day and on that day the parliamentary secretary described Terry Milewski of the CBC as an “old Trotskyite”. Is this the official view of his government or will he now stand up and apologize for his remarks?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite well knows, there has not been any objection to that term being used in the case of the journalist in question so far from him, and he can probably see why.

The shipbuilding secretariat provided all the costing and information related to the definition phase of the Arctic offshore patrol ships to CBC. Unfortunately, it chose to ignore it. It is not just us on this side, it is Canadians across the country, in the Royal Canadian Navy, in the Irving shipyards, across Atlantic Canada and across British Columbia who deserve better in the coverage of this important issue.

Privacy

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

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives are obsessed with finding commies at the CBC, I think Canadians would like them to be a little more focused on finding the $3.1 billion lost by the Treasury Board or why they are blowing taxpayers' dollars on partisan advertising or why losing the personal information of over a million Canadians is just another day in the minister's office. This is not about ideology. This is about incompetence. The minister has a pitiful track record of accountability.

Will he now commit to inform the Privacy Commissioner of every data breach that happens under his watch, no exceptions, no excuses?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I get perturbed. When I was in his riding, announcing federal funds for excellent projects in Timmins, he was gushing with his praise for me and our government. This is a different line of attack by the hon. member in this House from when he is in Timmins, I might add.

However, I would assure the hon. member that discussions are ongoing with the Privacy Commissioner and we await her advice and counsel on these issues.

Seniors

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are not only raising taxes on middle-class families to fight the deficit, of course, that they created; they are also cutting important government services and programs. By making OAS harder to get, Conservatives have lifted $30,000 from the pockets of Canada's lowest income seniors.

Yet, of course, this is not a new tack, coming from the same group that went back on its word and taxed income trusts. Do members remember that?

Just tell me, why is it that you have it in for the seniors? Why are you making Canada's seniors—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

The hon. member well knows that she has to address her comments through the Chair, not directly at other members.

The hon. Minister of State for Seniors.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Minister of State (Seniors)]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting seniors. We took actions, which included the highest GIS increase in a quarter of a century; a low-tax plan that has helped remove almost 400,000 seniors from the tax rolls completely; additional funding for affordable housing for seniors; and increased funding for the new horizons for seniors program.

The Liberal leader seems to want to talk about seniors, as opposed to acting on their behalf. He voted against the many measures we have introduced that better the lives of our senior citizens. Is he still against them?

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, last week the finance minister said that his tax hike on credit unions would only hit “large credit unions that now rival our banks”.

However, as the Credit Union Central of Canada points out, the largest credit unions have already grown too big to access this credit.

No, the tax hike is aimed squarely at mid-sized credit unions, the credit unions that serve middle-class Canadians in rural communities when the banks will not.

Would the minister commit to learning how credit unions actually work and then reverse this tax hike?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

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

We are eliminating an outdated tax subsidy from the 1970s, when the tax system was very different.

No other small businesses receive that special tax subsidy. Other governments have moved it forward before and eliminated that tax subsidy. The federal government is doing so now.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives continue to hike taxes on middle-class families. They are even adding the GST to certain health care services. For example, victims of crime who need a mental health assessment to prove their case in court would now pay GST.

Why are the Conservatives punishing victims of crime and would the Conservatives explain to Canadians, this week, during Canadian Mental Health Week, why they have decided to start taxing mental health services?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, health care services, including health care services relating to mental illness, have always been exempt from GST, and they will continue to be exempt from GST. The difference is with respect to services and examinations that are not performed for health reasons, and they will be subject to GST.

Labour

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as we know, the Conservatives are against Canada's millions of unionized workers and their rights, which they systematically attack. However, hidden at the very end of Bill C-60, so that few people would even realize it is there, is a measure attacking the managers of crown corporations by interfering with their negotiating powers. Now the Conservatives want to be able to control the offers that management puts on the table, as though the head of the CBC needs any advice from a minister who lost track of $3 billion.

Before putting his nose into everyone else's business, can the minister do his homework and respect the independence of crown corporations?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, the government has the ultimate financial responsibility for crown corporations. We must ensure that these costs are sustainable. As the government, we are responsible for crown corporation and the public service.

I would say to the hon. member that his hon. leader's track record in provincial politics is very clear.

The hon. member is shaking his head, but the facts are on the table. They did exactly the same thing in the Quebec government that we are doing here, and he was part of that government.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives want to control not only overall budgets, but also how they are broken down. No one is immune to their partisan obsessions.

It is to the point where they are even changing government websites to display their party's colours. And now they are saying to CBC employees, “So, you thought you were independent of the government and autonomous? Well, no, now you must negotiate with us”.

If the government had only focused on doing its job instead of attacking the independence of crown corporations, maybe it would not have lost track of $3.1 billion.

It should concentrate on that, to begin with.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, there is only one taxpayer. We represent the taxpayer's interest in this government.

We are not going to have a situation with crown corporations, who ultimately come to government if their bills exceed their ability to pay them. They come to government. We are not going to allow them to have a situation where they have collective bargaining, which is over and above what is fair and reasonable for the taxpayers to pay.

That is our position. They are free to oppose it and to side with public sector unions' interest. We will side with the taxpayer interest.

Intergovernmental Relations

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

Mr. Speaker, instead of going off on pointless rants, why do they not focus on recovering that $3.1 billion?

The Conservatives' interference knows no bounds, especially when it comes to the CBC. They are constantly changing their minds about how to govern it.

The provinces did not need the government to interfere in how they teach history. That is what is in the news today.

Why are the Conservatives not focusing on the issues related to access to education, instead of interfering with the content?

Instead of telling teachers and school boards that the Korean War led to Gangnam Style, the Conservatives should cancel this study and respect the provinces' jurisdictions.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me first apologize to the member for Westmount—Ville-Marie. I answered a question on Friday that I was not particularly proud of, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell him that, of course, I am very proud of all our astronauts and our achievements in space, including our first astronaut.

To continue, a study will do no such thing. We will not be interfering in the provincial jurisdiction. We will not be telling provinces what to study or how to interpret.

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that Conservatives are ramming through a study about what kind of history kids should learn in provincial schools.

These Conservatives have spent over $80 million celebrating the War of 1812, while they disregarded the 30th—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I will once again ask all hon. members to hold off on their applause until the member has finished asking the question.

The hon. member for Davenport.

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they disregarded the 30th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and they completely ignored the 50th anniversary of medicare.

How can a government that has such a selective view of Canadian heritage, of our shared heritage, lecture anyone on how to teach history?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course, the NDP members are all over the place on this. They stopped writing letters to our Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development for temporary foreign workers long enough to ask us to send money so that they could celebrate 1812 events in their ridings.

We are going to bring people in. Today we have Lieutenant General Maisonneuve coming to us today to talk about Operation Husky. What we are going to be doing is talking about the things, the people, the places and the events that have made this country great, so that Canadians can have better access to their history as we approach Canada's 150th birthday.

Mental Health

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with today marking the beginning of Mental Health Week, Canadians and veterans alike welcome the research and effort that our government has made to assist those who are facing this challenge.

Would the Minister of Veterans Affairs please update the House on how we are helping veterans win their battle for mental health?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister for La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was pleased to announce the launch of Mental Health Week and the new PTSD Coach Canada app. It is a mobile app designed to help veterans and Canadian Armed Forces personnel to identify and manage their symptoms of mental health conditions.

The mobile PTSD app is free and available for Apple and Android products.

I was also pleased to announce a new initiative, involving 140 clinicians across Canada, to adopt new therapies designed to efficiently treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

With this kind of initiative, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with our veterans, their families and Canadian society.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic region is reeling from the Conservatives' decision to gut employment insurance. The governments of the Atlantic provinces have joined forces to condemn the consequences of this reform. Quebec is concerned about the future of industries such as fishing and tourism, which require the experienced workers who are being forced to change jobs to satisfy the minister's whims.

Instead of sounding like a broken record and saying that she wants to connect people with available jobs, could the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development make her reform connect with reality?