Debates of June 13th, 2013

Canadian Heritage

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

Mr. Speaker, I just answered a similar question. No, the museum operates independently.

I would point this out to Canadians, and actually, this is an interesting comparison. The NDP asked me whether I interfered with the public display of underwear at the civilization museum and we have, of course, the leader of the NDP having his drive-by today in front of the Parliament of Canada. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of this country is fighting for Canadian jobs in Europe, speaking in the Westminster parliament for the first time since 1944. For the first time since the week before D-Day, the Prime Minister of this country is fighting for Canadians jobs, building our alliances with Europe—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Western Arctic.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' nutrition north program has done nothing but increase the cost of groceries across northern Canada. It costs $17 for a box of cereal in Iqaluit, $19 for a bag of rice in Pangnirtung and $25 for baby formula in Clyde River. The Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut legislatures have voted unanimously to have the Auditor General investigate this program, but the Yukon and Nunavut MPs are very silent.

Will the Minister of Health heed the demands of the territorial governments and call in the Auditor General to investigate this boondoggle?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that the hon. member should pay close attention to what is happening in his home. Northerners have asked for greater access to healthy foods at lower cost and we have responded to their request. The results are clear: the program is working. As a result of the nutrition north program, they now have access to high-quality nutritious foods at a lower cost. I saw the results of the advisory committee just last week. It was again reporting lower costs for northerners and—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the cost of food in northern Canada is so outrageous that the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are all calling for the Auditor General to investigate the nutrition north Canada program.

The minister seems to be indifferent to their calls. Will the government listen to northerners for once? Will it respond to their concerns?

Families up north are paying $8.99 for two litres of orange juice, while around here it costs only $2.99. These families need a government that supports them.

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, what northerners are calling for is improved access to inexpensive, healthy foods. That is the point of the program.

Northerners have no appetite for the NDP's carbon tax, which will increase the cost of their food.

Elections Canada

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, we have the leader of the NDP running from the RCMP. We have the Prime Minister running from Elections Canada, and we know that there are numerous election spending violations. They have a certain pattern. They break the rules, they get caught and then they call it an accounting dispute until they are eventually found guilty.

Canadians are not buying it. My question is very simple. Why does the Prime Minister not simply instruct his members of Parliament to abide by the Canadian election laws?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the member makes a factual error when he refers to an accounting dispute. The Liberal leadership candidates who have $500,000 in debts owing back almost seven years are not in an accounting dispute. Those are past due. That makes them donations over the limit, which the law calls illegal.

His party is in flagrant violation of election finance laws, as we speak. The right thing for him to do instead of throwing mud at this side would be to stand up and explain what his party is doing about its own law-breaking.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty simple. An election is like a competition, a democratic competition. Candidates compete for the privilege to serve. There are rules. Candidates must abide by the rules, but obviously the Conservatives do not think the rules apply to them.

I would like to ask the government this. When did it adopt the new credo, “If you ain't cheatin', you ain't competin'?”

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, he is right when he says elections are like a competition, and Canadians deserve to decide who is the winner. In this case, they have also decided who to put way over there in that corner. They did that after years of Liberal corruption and theft. This is the party that still cannot tell us where the missing $40 million has gone, that has half a million dollars in illegal leadership debt, whose current leader took a salary from this place and then went around at the same time, during the same workdays, to fill his pockets with money from charities.

On this side of the House, we are proud of our leader.

Regional Economic Development

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Ring of Fire provides a unique opportunity for the economic development of northern Ontario.

If this project comes to fruition, it will help contribute to the sustainable improvement of our economy and have a positive impact on first nations and local communities. However, the Conservatives are dragging their feet and unable to establish clear rules for the proper management of the project, which is now faltering.

What will the minister do to get the project back on track?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, today, there is something really ironic about an NDP member talking about following clear rules.

That notwithstanding, this was a decision made by a private company. Our government is committed and focused on working with stakeholders to ensure the enormous potential of the Ring of Fire becomes a reality. We will continue to work with all levels of government, especially first nations, and other stakeholders to help maximize those economic opportunities for northern Ontario.

[Claude Gravelle, NDP, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, under the Conservatives, in the span of five months, the Ring of Fire project has gone from stalled to completely suspended. The minister's inaction means end runs on environmental assessments, needless court challenges and sidelining first nations.

The minister needs to step up and take responsibility for leaving the Ring of Fire project mired in uncertainty. How is he going to fix this mess?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, it was our government that was proactive in working hand in hand, in full co-operation with communities implicated in the Ring of Fire. In fact, I visit Webequie First Nation with the Minister of the Environment. We saw a small business centre there. We saw first nations elders and youth and a college-diploma first nations person doing cultural mapping for the development of the Ring of Fire. We saw a busy base supplying materials for the Ring of Fire activity.

Every time we try to create better conditions for first nations communities, the NDP members consistently vote against those and make those challenges even more difficult. Shame on them.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, recently there have been disturbing reports about Canadian citizenship being used as a flag of convenience for terrorists to commit violent acts against innocent civilians.

Our Conservative government believes that Canadian citizenship should be stripped from convicted terrorists. Although the NDP leader does not stop at stop signs, the NDP is trying to stop my bill by filibustering at committee.

Can the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism inform this House where our government stands on my private member's bill, and the NDP's attempt to destroy it?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for Calgary Northeast for his bill that would strip citizenship from convicted terrorists and traitors.

Eighty percent of Canadians agree that if someone violently demonstrates their disloyalty to Canada by committing a serious act of terrorism, this should be understood as a renunciation of their loyalty to Canada and their citizenship.

Only 6% of Canadians strongly disagree with that proposition. Regrettably, that includes 100% of the NDP caucus who are leading a bizarre filibuster against Bill C-425 at the immigration committee. We call on them to listen to Canadians, let the bill go to a vote so there are consequences—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor.

The Environment

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to speak about a potential disaster in Notre Dame Bay in Newfoundland.

It deals with the Manolis L. which is a sunken large ship off the coast. It was leaking oil. The Coast Guard has done a patch job on it to make sure no more oil is getting out. However, it a very serious issue. There are over 520 tons of fuel oil still in that ship on the ocean floor. This could be a large-scale environmental disaster for the northeast of Newfoundland.

I beg this government, I beg this minister, what is the next step to get that oil out of the water?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government continues to monitor the situation very closely.

Divers have been down on the vessel. A program of containment and remediation is under way. When conditions permit, action will be taken to contain this spill.

Bagotville Airport

[Dany Morin, NDP, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, for two years I pressured the Conservatives and the people in my region kept up their demands until it was no longer possible for the member from Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean to ignore them. A customs office at Bagotville airport was needed.

Unfortunately, the work is not finished because limited customs services can accommodate only small business planes.

Can the member for Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean tell us when the Bagotville airport will finally welcome a real planeload of tourists, or will he continue to oppose the project for another two years?

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

Mr. Speaker, the decisions that are made by CBSA officers and administration are not made by politicians. They are made with strict criteria. They are made within the guidelines that are set out.

I have met with that member. I think we have had some good conversations. As we work together, we can see that area served. Again, it is not political interference that determines those matters.

Public Safety

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, “Don't you know who I am?” That was the shocking outburst from the Leader of the Opposition when he finally pulled over for the RCMP after going through—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia has the floor.