House of Commons Hansard #268 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was goods.
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as I just finished saying, of course we have put in place those measures on expenses that taxpayers have been asking for, and there is an independent audit that is going forward.
I know my colleague opposite shared the sentiment when she mentioned Senator Tkachuk. Nothing has been said about him in this House, but all in this House agree on this important sentiment: we do indeed wish him all the best as he fights cancer, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is just too little, too late.
Eighteen months ago, Liberal and Conservative senators were informed about Wallin's questionable expenses. The leaders of both caucuses were therefore aware of the expenses, but they chose to cover up the information to protect their cronies.
The Prime Minister had to run off to Europe to tell us that he will not disclose the $90,000 cheque.
The member for Ajax—Pickering also said that it would not be in the public interest to produce it. Their position shows disrespect for Canadians, does not make sense, and only fuels people's doubts.
When will they listen to reason and show us the damn cheque?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, as I said in both English and French, that is not at all what the Prime Minister said recently in Europe.
He stated very clearly that it was a personal cheque written by Mr. Wright. Those are the facts. We do not have access to personal cheques written by individuals.
With respect to the Auditor General's ongoing action, what Canadian taxpayers deserve are real answers and real action. We took action by introducing 11 measures to protect taxpayers' interests.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the member stands here in the House contradicting his own Prime Minister, and I am not sure the Prime Minister will appreciate that.
What the Prime Minister said in Europe was that he had decided not to show us the cheque. That means he has access to the cheque and knows where it is.
Once and for all, does the Prime Minister or someone on his staff have a copy of the cheque or not?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, for the fifth time, my answer is a clear “no”.
Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, today is day 457 of the government's inaction on amendments to the Canada Elections Act. After announcing back in April he was finally about to table the bill, the minister then did an about-face hours after meeting with the Conservative caucus.
What happened at that Conservative caucus meeting to cause the minister to put this bill on ice? Will he finally table the bill before we rise this summer, yes or no?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, our government takes election reform very seriously. That is why we are taking the time to ensure that we get it right.
We committed to introducing legislation in this regard, and we will.
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister says they want to take the time to do things properly, but that is not good enough. The legislation has to be introduced soon if we want the rules to be in effect by the time the next election rolls around.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 57 days ago, the Minister of State for Democratic Reform stated that, “our government is pleased to announce that it will introduce comprehensive legislation on Thursday”.
Eight Thursdays have passed since then. I am guessing that pigs will fly before we see even a hint of a bill.
Will the minister stop stalling, stop beating around the bush, and introduce a bill before the House rises for the summer?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, as we have committed, we will introduce legislation on election reform.
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is getting more ridiculous every day.
The Conservatives are dragging their feet on electoral reform, just as they are dragging their feet on Senate reform. They are making things up as they go, to try to divert attention away from their scandals.
The Prime Minister says one thing, while the Minister of Canadian Heritage says another. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence contradict each other in public.
If they would just tell the truth, it would be much easier for them to get their stories straight.
Why do the Conservatives find it so difficult to be transparent and tell the truth?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, I gave very clear answers to the questions from the leader of the NDP and other members of the opposition.
If the NDP wants immediate reforms, then our bills on Senate reform could pass unanimously today. Move the motion and it will be adopted.
Scott Andrews Liberal Avalon, NL
Mr. Speaker, election laws are in place to ensure that Canada's elections are clean, transparent and fair, but the Conservative Party does not seem to care if it breaks every election law in the books, from the overspending by the Conservative MPs from St. Boniface and Selkirk—Interlake, to the member for Mississauga—Brampton South and her troubles with her expenses.
Can the government tell us if there is any other Conservative MP under investigation by Elections Canada?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the member likes to grandstand his use of the word “transparency”, when his leader went around the country taking money away from charities to do the job that all of us in this room are already paid to do. People across this chamber, from all parties, are paid as parliamentarians to speak to charitable groups and community associations as part of our job as parliamentarians. The leader of the Liberal Party double-dipped and took a second payment while he was recording one of the worst attendance records on the floor of the House of Commons. That is not transparency.
Scott Andrews Liberal Avalon, NL
Mr. Speaker, there is a pattern here, when the parliamentary secretary—
Scott Andrews Liberal Avalon, NL
We go from the Conservatives' highly illegal accounting schemes during the in-and-out scandal to “Peter the cheater” Penashue's illegal campaign returns.
It has been one year since the member for Peterborough dared to show up to an ethics committee because of his unethical and illegal returns, but he is still the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Why is he still the right-hand man to the Prime Minister, when the Prime Minister's chief of staff had to resign?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister shows up and works hard and delivers for his constituents. That is in stark contrast to the Liberal leader, who has one of the very worst attendance records on the floor of the House of Commons. He does not show up for work here, even though he is paid to do so. He takes paid salary time to go and take money from charities and other organizations that Canadians expect parliamentarians to reach out to as part of their jobs.
On this side of the House, we serve the public. On that side, they serve themselves.
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
Mr. Speaker, you can hear how scared they are of the new Liberal leader.
My question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
The free trade negotiations with Europe seem to be entering their final sprint and have an impact on buying locally and the cost of drugs. Under our Constitution, once a treaty is ratified it cannot be implemented in provincial jurisdictions without the consent of the provinces. Is the minister making sure that the provinces are being kept abreast of these last-minute negotiations, or will he allow the government to run roughshod over the provinces yet again?
Intergovernmental RelationsOral Questions
South Shore—St. Margaret's Nova Scotia
Conservative
Gerald Keddy ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the provinces and municipalities have been involved in the negotiations since the beginning. They continue to be involved. They are at the table, and they are briefed regularly.
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Mr. Speaker, three people lost their lives in the VIA crash in Burlington. Yesterday, I asked the Conservatives to stop ignoring the Transportation Safety Board's recommendations and take action to put safety first. I did not get an answer, so today I am giving the Conservatives another chance.
Yesterday, I submitted a motion to the House to immediately mandate that automatic braking systems be installed on all trains. Will the minister support this motion? Yes or no.
Steven Fletcher ConservativeMinister of State (Transport)
Mr. Speaker, naturally our thoughts and prayers go to the families who have had loved ones lose their lives in that tragic derailment.
The minister has tasked the advisory council on rail safety to look at what can be done. He is taking the advice of the council, and we are going to suggest bringing in recording devices so that we will know how these locomotives operate.
I wish the member would not politicize this.
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of State for Transport misspoke yesterday when he answered my question.
First he said that he had read the Transportation Safety Board's recommendations and then he said that his department was encouraging the stakeholders to install recording devices. Encouraging does not go far enough. This is a public safety requirement.
The other thing he got wrong was his response to a question about automatic braking systems. He said there were stricter penalties for those who break the rules.
Is preventing accidents not one of the minister's responsibilities? When will there be mandatory rail safety requirements?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, first of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this tragedy.
The technology the hon. member is referring to is currently being implemented in the United States. Applying this technology presents some problems. We are monitoring the situation with much interest.
Here in Canada, VIA Rail is going to install recorders on all its trains. The work is expected to be completed in 2014. We have also put in place whistleblower protection so that accidents can be prevented in the future.
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about another matter.
The Wait Time Alliance's report clearly indicates that the Conservative government's health strategy is not working. Our military personnel, veterans and aboriginal peoples are not receiving the care they need and to which they are entitled within acceptable timeframes.
Will the minister take her responsibilities seriously and work with the provinces in order to put in place an effective plan to reduce wait times?
