Debates of May 7th, 2013

Employment

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has the floor.

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they do not understand the irony.

We quoted the memo in question publicly and verbatim a year ago to highlight the need to reform the employment insurance system and the temporary foreign worker program.

I find it strange that the members from New Brunswick and regions with a high unemployment rate had asked for more temporary workers. It is strange that the NDP is saying that the program displaces workers, except in New Democratic ridings. We are fixing the problems.

Pensions

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, despite their $1 billion ad campaign to the contrary, Conservatives have no plan for prosperity for the middle class. Instead, they repeatedly punish the middle class. Conservatives taxed income trusts, wiping out billions of dollars in retirement savings. They made old age security harder to get, and the Conservative PRPP scheme is nothing other than a joke. Seventy per cent of Canadians have no pension, yet Conservative incompetence is making it harder to retire with dignity.

Why does the Prime Minister want poverty to be part of retirement for the middle class?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, I would refer the hon. member to three provinces that have just recently tabled their own legislation on pooled registered pension plans, no thanks to the opposition in the House. This is another option for Canadians to help save for their retirement. Sixty per cent of Canadians in the workforce do not now have a retirement pension plan; we think it is important to provide that option.

We would encourage the opposition, instead of fighting against that, to actually support it. Canadians want that.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as soon as they were elected, the Conservatives began attacking our seniors. First, they eliminated income trusts. Then, they raised the age of eligibility for old age security from 65 to 67. Now, they are directly attacking the middle class and future retirees by eliminating the tax credit for labour-sponsored funds, which is very popular in Quebec. Quebeckers invest less in RRSPs than the average Canadian.

Why does the government have it in for Quebeckers?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are using appropriate fiscal measures to work for all Canadian workers.

I invite my colleague to vote in favour of the budget. He will still have an opportunity in the coming days to vote in favour of the legislative measures that will enable the government to support Canadian workers and help them find jobs. As for the labour-sponsored funds, I would like to remind my colleague that $8.8 billion was allocated to labour-sponsored funds in Quebec, in order to invest in businesses, and that amount will remain.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, while Canadian students are struggling to find summer work, a government report shows that the Conservatives have actually cut by 20% the number of student jobs in the federal government. Meanwhile, they are wasting tens of millions of dollars on useless TV ads during the hockey playoffs. The price of one action plan ad during the playoffs could pay for 32 student summer jobs.

Why are the Conservatives wasting so much money on bogus advertising while cutting jobs for young Canadians?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development]

Mr. Speaker, we need all of the skills and talent in this country at work. That is why we are trying to help young Canadians connect with jobs. In this budget, there are 5,000 new internships through the career focus program that will help connect students who have graduated with jobs that are in demand. Unfortunately, the member and his Liberal colleagues are voting against that help.

We are also helping over 30,000 students get experience and funding for their schooling through the Canada summer job program. Once again, the Liberals are opposing all that help for young Canadians to get the experience and skills that they need.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that not even ill RCMP members who are wanting to speak about their experiences are safe from Conservative gag orders.

A B.C. RCMP officer on stress leave was prevented from testifying at a parliamentary committee yesterday under a brand new rule that stops Mounties on sick leave from travelling without written approval from management. This comes on the heels of the minister's order banning senior Mounties from talking to MPs without prior government approval.

What is this minister afraid of? Why is he muzzling RCMP officers who want to speak out on reform of their organization?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, there was no attempt made to stop that individual from testifying.

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. However, we introduced the enhancing RCMP accountability act to ensure that the Commissioner has the tools to modernize the RCMP. Shockingly, the NDP, and that member specifically, voted against that act.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister must be afraid someone will contradict him. Why else would he prevent the RCMP from speaking freely to parliamentarians?

The officer in question was to testify before the Senate about Bill C-42, which, in the opinion of a number of officers and the NDP, should have been rewritten. In addition to rejecting our amendments, the Conservatives are rejecting the evidence of witnesses who might support them. So much for freedom of expression.

Need I remind the minister that it is his responsibility to listen to criticism in order to implement the best public policies and not to muzzle those who might contradict him?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, the officer indicated that he wanted to testify and there was nothing stopping that officer from testifying. I do not know why that member is making this up. Again, it is a type of statement that individual makes in order to ensure that their story is told.

However, I do not involve myself in the day-to-day operations of the RCMP. In fact, we introduced the enhancing RCMP accountability act to help govern the RCMP. That member voted against it.

Statistics Canada

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that individual does not believe much of what that minister is saying.

Unfortunately, the RCMP is not the only organization that is being muzzled by the Conservatives.

Statistics Canada employees have also been advised to keep their opinions to themselves, even when not at work. This new code of conduct is being put in place just before we see the consequences of the Conservatives' decision to abolish the long form census. Is this mere coincidence?

In addition to being afraid of RCMP officers on sick leave, are they scared of wicked statisticians? Why muzzle Statistics Canada employees?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely false. The code of conduct she mentioned was written by public servants for public servants. The code does not in any way prevent employees from talking to the media or attending conferences. What the member is saying is completely false.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I guess that is another internal matter like the $3.1 billion.

Why are Conservatives so afraid? They want to place everyone under a gag order. Even with this gag order, Statistics Canada has confirmed that the Conservatives are being reckless--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, the hon. member for Scarborough Southwest has the floor.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a quote from Statistics Canada:

We have never previously conducted a survey on the scale of the voluntary National Household Survey, nor are we aware of any other country that has.

This information is critical for schools, health care, transit and so many other services Canadians rely on. So why are Conservatives silencing Statistics Canada employees and playing reckless games with this essential data?

[Christian Paradis, Conservative, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture)]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, Statistics Canada has already said that the national household survey will yield useful, usable information and data that will meet the needs of users.

In terms of co-operation, 2.7 million households returned the NHS questionnaire in 2011, compared to 2.3 million households in 2006.

On the code of conduct, I repeat once again, it was written by public servants for public servants.

Status of Women

[Joyce Bateman, Conservative, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, for 25 years women and children on reserves have been without the legal protection they need. For 13 years, the Liberals did nothing, and today they put forward the absurd idea that duly elected female MPs on the Standing Committee for the Status of Women are incapable of addressing this issue.

Does the Liberal leader think these female MPs should simply not worry their pretty little heads about this? Can the Minister for Status of Women please update this House on what our government is doing to protect aboriginal women and children?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to giving aboriginal women the same rights and protection as all Canadian women. For over a quarter of a century, aboriginal women living on reserve have been without access to the legal rights they deserve. Our bill would protect thousands of women and children. In situations of family violence, it would allow judges to enforce emergency protection orders and remove a violent partner.

The truth is, emergency protection orders save lives. How the Liberal Party and NDP leaders can whip their members to block this legislation is incomprehensible to us.

Ethics

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the head of Library and Archives Canada spent thousands of dollars on private Spanish lessons and another $10,000 to renew the contract for what seems to be his hobby. Now Conservatives are cutting services and laying off workers, yet they allow this outrageous expense at Library and Archives Canada. As usual, the Conservatives only act after they get caught.

What is the minister's excuse for allowing this to happen? Will he say “adios” to this kind of waste under his watch?

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

Mr. Speaker, clearly this kind of spending by the head of Library and Archives Canada is outside the mandate of Library and Archives Canada, and I will be speaking to him very soon.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the category of absurd expenditures under the Conservative government, we can unfortunately include private Spanish lessons, at taxpayers' expense, for the head of Library and Archives Canada.

We are pleased to hear their remarks today because, after almost $4,500 was spent, the contract was renewed for $10,000 until 2014. I am sure many Canadians would have loved to be given $15,000 for private Spanish lessons.

Why did the Minister of Canadian Heritage approve this expenditure? What will he say to Mr. Caron?