Debates of June 3rd, 2013

Public Safety

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, violent storms in the Quebec City area this past weekend resulted in the flooding of more than 500 homes. The residents of L'Ancienne-Lorette are reliving the nightmare that rained down on them in 2005. The strong rains would not have had the same impact if the necessary infrastructure had been in place.

Can the Minister of Public Safety confirm that he has contacted his Quebec counterpart about this matter? Can he assure us that he will work with the provincial and municipal authorities on this file?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, of course our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost property or even worse in some of these very serious situations.

Under the DFAA, the federal government stands with the provinces to work together to compensate for these losses. Indeed, in some of these cases the federal government pays up to 90% of the losses under the DFAA. We respond to provincial inquiries in this respect, and we would certainly be pleased to look at the entire file.

Health

[Raymond Côté, NDP, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

First came the nickel and iron dust. Then, this weekend, coal dust from the Port of Québec settled on my region.

Every time I have asked the minister a question about this, he has evaded it by saying that the port is an independent organization that is doing its job. However, the minister is forgetting that he is responsible for enforcing environmental legislation in the ports.

Does the minister understand the principle of ministerial accountability? Is he waiting for all the elements of the periodic table to fall on our heads before taking action?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning, the member has been speaking with the people at the Port of Québec on a regular basis.

On April 3, the member met with management of the port authority, but he does not seem to understand the explanations he was given.

At the meeting with the president and CEO, Mario Girard, they told him about everything that was happening, and he said he was pleased with what he saw and with the action taken to correct the situation. He said that he was truly reassured. The member seems to go any which way the wind blows. I believe the best direction is the one the Port of Québec is going in.

Consumer Protection

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my constituents want honest billing practices and reasonable contracts from their cellphone and wireless providers. Our government has taken concrete steps to protect consumers and today, the CRTC has unveiled a new wireless code of conduct.

Could the President of the Treasury Board update the House on the great work that is being done to help protect Canadian consumers?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me first thank the hon. member for the question because it shows how connected he is to his local community and is representing its views.

We on the government side are happy to see this new wireless code. It puts consumers first. It addresses the key issues such as contract length and the exploding roaming charges, and some of us are aware of those, and other data charges as well. These are steps in the right direction.

I can assure the chamber that this government will continue to foster greater competition to provide Canadians with more choices at better prices in every region of this country.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, youth unemployment is twice the national average and hundreds of thousands of young Canadians are just not able to find work, yet the Conservative government continues to run television ads at $90,000 a crack advertising a program that does not even exist. The jobs grant program has not passed Parliament and the government has not even begun negotiations with the provinces. It has more caveats and disclaimers than a Rob Ford press conference.

What is sad here is, where are the fiscal Conservatives who are supposed to care about tax dollars? Why do they not stand--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. Economic action plan 2013 has put in place and will put forward 5,000 new internships for young Canadians. The Canada youth employment strategy employs over 36,000 young Canadians every year. In fact, since the start of this government, 2.1 million young Canadians have been newly employed.

I look forward to the opposition member getting on board and supporting young Canadians, so they can be employed so that we can make sure they all have opportunities in the future.

Health

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, desperate Canadians are heading overseas to buy organs on the black market only to see these organs fail when they come back home. They end up in hospital and tragically some have died. As we have debated in the House, unfortunately this is not a new situation.

After seven years in power, why is the government still dragging its feet on the critical need for a national registry for organ transplants?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely playing a leadership role when it comes to establishing a registry. We are working with various organizations, like Hélène Campbell's initiatives, to establish a registry for individuals who want to make an organ donation. It will be the first of its kind in this country.

The Environment

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, The Dippers have denied their environment roots,
Taken up with the Liberals--they're all in cahoots.
Their leader is angry, storm clouds of deceit,
A tax on everything, clothes, gas, and meat.
An inconvenient truth, they travel abroad,
Job-killing speeches akin to fraud.
Thirty per cent-GHGs did increase,
Under the Liberal watch, a gaseous feast.
Mull this over complete with care,
The Dippers and Libs would do nothing for air.
The good news for us in environment week,
Is our sector-by-sector approach that is sleek.
Could the minister update us all today?
And lift the debate above the fray.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for London West for his rhyming couplets and a very good question.

This government has addressed climate change. We have regulated reductions in greenhouse gases while still growing the economy. We have put forward a plan to improve air quality for all Canadians.

In this Environment Week, I would advise all Canadians to examine our impressive record, because when it comes to our land, our water and air, people can count on this government to manage with care.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, three years ago the Department of Fisheries and Oceans declared nearly 1,000 lighthouses surplus, including the one on Sambro Island that is the oldest in North America, built in 1758. They were hoping that non-profit community organizations were going to be able to pick up the slack, but many of these lighthouses are simply too expensive to maintain.

I want to ask the minister a question. Will he do right thing? Will he ensure that these heritage, iconic lighthouses are maintained by supporting these community organizations?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, this program of sponsoring out-of-use lighthouses and sponsoring working lighthouses has been very successful.

We have received over 300 nominations. The boards are working through these applications. We have named a number just in the last couple of weeks, and we will continue with this very worthy program.

Public Safety

[Maria Mourani, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, experts and the police are confirming that Vito Rizzuto has regained influence over the Montreal Mafia. Whether we are talking about the Hells Angels or street gangs, the criminal element has hit cruising speed. Things are back to normal and business is booming. While the Mafia is renewing its allegiances and regaining power, the Conservative government is abolishing the police officer recruitment fund and jeopardizing the operations of prevention agencies, such as the Maison d'Haïti street crews.

Does the Minister of Public Safety understand that we need resources to fight crime, to fight criminal groups, and to protect our young people?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that the issue of policing is a provincial matter, but we do work very closely with our provincial colleagues.

We have passed many laws involving mandatory minimum prison sentences and laws relating to organized crime. Unfortunately, members of the opposition have consistently opposed those measures.

Public Works and Government Services

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, again today, we learn that two ministers got mixed up in the contract awarding process for relocating federal employees. The Auditor General found irregularities in this file when the previous Liberal government was in power, and the Conservative government is no better. Everything is controlled by the Prime Minister's Office and cabinet, and the list of interferences keeps growing.

When will the government stop politicizing public tenders and public service decisions?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is false. As President of the Treasury Board, I can say that the Minister of Public Safety has a responsibility to verify that due diligence has been exercised with regard to the contract. In response to the criticisms by the Auditor General's office about the contract that the Liberals awarded unfairly, our government launched a new request for proposals for the relocation contract, using a fair and transparent process.

I would say that we have done everything according to proper procedure.

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, in January, as protests occurred across Canada, the Prime Minister said he would take responsibility for progress on aboriginal issues.

Months later, where are we? First nations, Inuit and Metis are wondering if the government agreed to change its ways while having absolutely no intention of following through. The only action we have seen from the government is pushing through its own legislative agenda that first nations object to.

When is the government going to live up to its promises?

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

Mr. Speaker, the fact is, we are following up with first nations, Metis and Inuit all across this country. In recent months, I have been travelling across the country to hear many aboriginal leaders, Metis leaders, Inuit leaders. We are making progress and we will continue in the quest for reconciliation in Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, Shawn Atleo sent a simple message this weekend. The level of unrest this summer will depend on whether the Prime Minister is willing to follow through on his commitment to aboriginal people.

Can the Prime Minister tell us who the high-level person is in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for implementing the January 11 agreement?

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

Mr. Speaker, there are in fact senior oversight committees that have been instituted following the January 11 meeting. These oversight committees are meeting regularly. They are making progress, and I hope that in due course we can make them public.

Justice

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when Dr. Porter was chair of SIRC, he was in possession of some of Canada's most sensitive information. He is now languishing in one of Panama's most notorious prisons in the presence of pimps, drug dealers and organized crime.

Can the government tell us what steps it has taken to get Dr. Porter out of his Panamanian jail in order to face justice and in order to be put into a secure Canadian facility?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that our government has been following this issue very closely. We are very pleased that there was an arrest in this matter. We congratulate the authorities on a successful arrest.

While I cannot comment on a specific case, I can say that anyone involved in corruption must face the full force of the law, and our government will take the steps necessary to ensure that happens.