Debates of June 14th, 2013

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada's unemployment rate for full-time students is over 20%. Young Canadians are desperate for work experience and they are being pressured into taking unpaid internships, but Statistics Canada is not even tracking the issue.

If someone has a paid job, it is tracked. If someone is looking for work and is unemployed, it is tracked. If someone has an unpaid job, however, there is no data. If they are not being tracked, unpaid internships may be getting railroaded, and that is why Statistics Canada should be tracking unpaid internships.

We cannot address what we do not measure, so why will the government not ask Statistics Canada to start tracking unpaid internships in Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government is delivering for young Canadians. Let us be very clear. The numbers are clear. There were 54,400 net new jobs for Canadians under 30 in the last month. This is an overwhelming number. We have created over a million net new jobs. We are putting $70 million in the budget for 5,000 paid internships, making sure young Canadians have real opportunities.

Unlike the Liberals who vote against every single one of these opportunities, we are there for young Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the flagship of the Conservatives' employment program is the totally shambolic Canada job grant. It is more of a ghost ship than a flagship. Seven of the ten provinces have said the program is pretty much shipwrecked. British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia all said that the program was sunk before it sailed.

Why will the Conservatives not abandon ship on this ill-fated program and help Canadians who are so desperately looking for work?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. We are taking the creation of jobs out of the hands of government and putting it with employers and employees, the people who know how to create jobs in this country. That is why, under the leadership of this government and the Minister of Finance, we have created over a million net new jobs in this country since the downturn of the recession.

Our programs and plans are working. The Canada job grant is going to do exactly that: create new jobs and new opportunities for Canadians. I encourage the Liberals and everyone else to get on board. This is going to work exceptionally well for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are on board a sinking ship. The flagship hit an iceberg and is sinking.

The most offensive part is that Conservatives continue to spend millions of taxpayers' dollars advertising this program. Every commercial Canadians see during the Stanley Cup final costs $140,000 a spot for a program that does not exist and will never exist. It is incompetence and mismanagement of titanic proportions.

While young Canadians find themselves drowning in student debt, the Conservative band plays on. When will they change the music on this program?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member asked about jobs. One worker for a non-profit organization actually lost her job as a result of the Liberal leader. Let me quote a letter that went to the Liberal leader from this organization that helps elderly people in desperate need:

The fundraising event we hired you as a speaker for was a huge disappointment and financial loss for our organization. We are a new foundation attempting to raise badly needed funds for the elderly residents of The Church of St. John & St. Stephen Home Inc.

The Liberal leader went to town, caused losses, took $20,000 away from this organization, money that was meant to help elderly people.

International Trade

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister talks about free trade between Canada and the European Union in France, he will have to address one of the most problematic issues, namely agriculture. Beef and dairy producers deserve to know whether they will be paying the price for the government's willingness to make compromises.

What is the Prime Minister currently planning to put on the table? Who will pay the price for the Conservatives' eagerness to divert attention from their scandals?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, negotiations are ongoing. Because we are still in negotiations, we do not have an end result. When we get the end result, we will let the hon. member know.

However, I have a question for the hon. member about jobs, because I do not understand what the NDP has against jobs. A 20% increase in trade with the European Union results in jobs. More money in exporters' pockets results in jobs. I knew New Democrats were anti-trade; now I understand they are anti-jobs.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have a Prime Minister desperate to change the channel. We all know that, but it is Canadian producers who will end up paying the price. A free trade deal with Europe will be the most important deal Canada signs in a decade. We need the right deal for Canada. Canadians are concerned about—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. I have asked members before. All they have to do is wait until the member is finished asking the question and then they can applaud. I am sure they will applaud when he is finished asking his question.

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is the Conservatives have not signed the deal yet. We are concerned that the desperate Prime Minister we have right now is going to sign a bad deal.

How will the government ensure that we will get good results and sign a good deal when we have a desperate Prime Minister and clearly a very desperate parliamentary secretary?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is pretty simple. The NDP has no intention of signing any deals on trade because it is anti-trade. It continues to be anti-trade. Since we formed government in 2006, we have signed free trade agreements with nine countries. Once in the history of the party, NDP members supported one free trade deal. They have criticized everything we have ever done and anything any previous government has ever done. They are anti-trade and anti-jobs.

You have a chance to get on board here. If you want to talk about trade, you can get on board and support—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member knows to address his comments through the Chair and not directly at other colleagues.

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's best interest is actually having a Prime Minister who is focused on representing Canada at the G8 meetings, not on dodging scandals. The problem is we do not. We have a Prime Minister who is actually just focused on dodging scandals. That is the problem.

At the G8 meetings the Prime Minister will be again out of touch with his partners. We have a Prime Minister who has walked away from the drought treaty. We have the arms treaty not signed. The Conservatives are increasingly isolated on the international stage. They cannot even bargain with our own diplomats. That is how bad it is.

How is it that we can actually work with our allies when we see our Prime Minister walking away from international treaties and not even negotiating with our diplomats?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this government will deliver results. The Prime Minister is over there and he is delivering results, unlike that member's leader who berated a female officer of the RCMP. If those members want to think about running government, they should start improving their behaviour.

I know who the hon. member is. We will deliver results.

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

Mr. Speaker, the only G8 leader who refuses to sign the arms trade treaty is none other than our Conservative Prime Minister.

Why? Probably because of their conspiracy theories about the treaty. This treaty addresses the global arms trade, not their use within the country. Canada participated in negotiations for months, but the Conservatives still refuse to take a tough stand on the illegal arms trade.

When will they sign this treaty?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has taken a leadership role at the United Nations to make sure that we work for this treaty. Canada believes in keeping arms out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and those who abuse fundamental human rights. That is why we were among the 154 countries that agreed to move this treaty forward.

At the same time, it is important that such a treaty should not affect lawful and responsible firearms owners, nor discourage the transfer of firearms for recreational use such as sport shooting and hunting.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP is now in day four of filibustering private member's Bill C-425 at the immigration committee. Those members are doing this because they believe that convicted terrorists should keep their Canadian citizenship. The NDP is ignoring the over 80% of Canadians who support it, including many in my own riding of Richmond Hill, who have contacted me with their support.

Could the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism please explain to the House why the government supports Bill C-425 and why the NDP opposes the vast majority of Canadians on this issue?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for Richmond Hill for his good work on this important issue.

Canadians understand that citizenship is predicated on loyalty. When individuals violently express their disloyalty to Canada, when they attack its troops, when they commit violent treason, when they commit acts of terror as we have unfortunately seen Canadians do in the last few months, that is a renunciation of their citizenship and the loyalty upon which it is predicated.

Most Canadians understand that that should have the consequence of resulting in the revocation of citizenship. I think most Canadians find it frankly bizarre that the NDP is going to the wall to defend the right of serious convicted terrorists to retain their Canadian citizenship.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Jonathan Genest-Jourdain, NDP, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while we are commemorating the fifth anniversary of the official apology for residential schools—in which the government acknowledged the harm done to children and their families—it is distressing to see that aboriginal youth are still not a priority for the Conservatives.

The minister is still dragging his feet on completing the nominal role process. That process allows for a follow-up with aboriginal students to determine their eligibility so that schools receive adequate funding.

Can the minister explain why this process is taking so long, as it technically should have been completed in February?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are supporting student education for first nations on reserve. Our income assistance program the minister recently announced is focused on ensuring that aboriginal youth have the skills they need to enter the labour force across Canada.

I wish that the NDP would get on board and support these initiatives. First nations are asking for them. This has been one of the most consultative processes any government has embarked on and we are bringing results forward with first nations.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that sounds like the “dog ate my homework” excuse.

The department's nominal roll process for first nations students is usually complete in February. It is now June and the school year is almost over. The department has been forced to send letters to school boards asking them not to charge interest to first nations for tuition. If this were not so serious, it would be just plain embarrassing.

Why is this process still not complete?

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

Mr. Speaker, obviously we are aware of the fact that some communities send their students to cities and towns for education. We are working through those processes now. Those schools received their tuition. What is important is that those aboriginal students have access to a good education so they can enter the workforce equipped as all other Canadians come to expect, whether they live on reserve or off reserve.

Canadian Heritage

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised a new relationship, and that does not sound like a new relationship.

We have another example of this disrespect: After the Nisga'a land claims agreement, a boat was gifted in the spirit of reconciliation to the Museum of Civilization. Now it is being thoughtlessly shipped away. The Nishga Girl is a significant piece of Canadian history. Will the minister stop the shipment, and will he respectfully consult with both donors and community?