Debates of Jan. 29th, 2014

Ethics

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister and this government have always had the highest ethical standards. That has been the norm since this Prime Minister was elected the leader of our party.

When it comes to ethics, this is a gentleman who really has nerve getting up and asking those questions. When we look at the donations that he has accepted into his EDA, he seems to have gone after the very same people who are lobbying him with respect to his file.

That does not show the same type of standard the member is advocating here. At the same time, we know he has broken Elections Canada rules with respect to how his last campaign went. He also sends out press releases saying how great a job we are doing, but he votes against it.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let me recap.

The Minister of the Environment attended a fundraiser where guests included people who receive funding directly from her department. The Minister of Canadian Heritage did more or less the same thing last week. Yesterday, the Minister of Veterans Affairs had nothing better to do than insult and run roughshod over veterans.

How does the Prime Minister determine when a minister should be asked to resign? What is the ethical standard of the day?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has always demanded the highest ethical standards from his caucus and staffers.

That is the example, of course, that this Prime Minister has set since the first day he was elected the leader of our party. Contrast that to the opposition that accepted illegal contributions from their big boss union friends. Members opposite accept donations from individuals who are lobbying them to make changes on policy.

When it comes to accountability, we have taken action. We have shown leadership. That is what Canadians expect, and that is what we are delivering.

Veterans Affairs

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, dozens of veterans came here to argue for the maintenance of essential services that the Conservatives are going to eliminate this week.

The Conservatives are cutting services for veterans so that the Minister of Finance can save a few dollars and balance his budget on the backs of veterans. The closure of these offices means that many veterans will simply no longer seek help, and we know what the consequences of that are.

When will the Prime Minister show some compassion and respect and finally admit that these budget cuts are having a devastating effect on veterans?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, at the beginning of February, there will be 650 locations across Canada where veterans can receive in-person service from the Government of Canada, which is 16 times higher than in 2006.

The NDP and the Liberals voted against increased investments for Canadian veterans. I bet they are going to do so again in the next few weeks.

Veterans have told us that they want less paperwork and fewer trips downtown, which begs the question: Who is the member actually working for? The record will show that they have consistently voted against our initiatives to increase benefits and services to veterans.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for 16 and half years, on my tenth minister, from two different parties, yesterday was the lowest of the low in my advocacy for veterans, RCMP members, and their families across this country.

I guess we should be thankful that the minister did not fall asleep in front of them, as the member for Calgary West did previously.

The Veterans Bill of Rights, which the Conservatives brag about, says our veterans deserve respect and dignity. Yesterday they received neither one. The only thing left to do is to ask the Prime Minister of Canada one very simple question: Will he ask for the Minister of Veterans Affairs' resignation? Yes or no.

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely regret yesterday's events. As I did last evening, I apologized directly to the veterans, and again, I apologize now.

I wanted to meet with them to hear their case and their stories and explain to them the changes we are making that will, in fact, look after their interests and their families in the long term. I reach out to veterans from yesterday to reiterate that apology.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our men and women in uniform stand up for Canada, but the government does not stand up for them. Veterans yesterday made that abundantly clear.

The Prime Minister wrongly asserts that support for injured forces members is there, and they should just ask for it. False. Insulting. In fact, the government's own staffing freeze blocked the hiring of dozens of desperately needed medical staff. This lack of support is resulting in tragedy.

I would like to ask, when will the Prime Minister stop blaming those who serve and apologize for this disgraceful Conservative negligence?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Liberals, we have made this a priority. No government has done more to reach out to ill and injured veterans and members of our armed forces than this Canadian government, and I am very proud of that.

What the hon. member did not mention is that we have increased the health care budget by over $100 million. Now we have 400 full-time mental health professionals to assist veterans and to assist people in the armed forces. We are going to continue that hiring process, and they should get on-board with that.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

Yesterday was a horrible day for the veterans who came to Ottawa wanting to meet with the Minister of Veterans Affairs to discuss the closing of the nine VACs. The way they were treated by the minister was despicable and demeaning.

In the words of one veteran, is the minister going to fall on his sword and do the honourable thing and hit the trail? Or when is the Prime Minister going to fire him and give him his walking papers?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it beats me how the leader of the Liberal Party can continue to ignore that member's disgraceful comments about veterans:

...that's like hanging a case of beer in front of a drunk.... [T]hey go and spend it, either trying to buy a house or buying a fast car or spending it on booze and addiction.

When will the leader of the Liberal Party either force that member to apologize or just fire him?

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

Mr. Speaker, when the Canadian government asked them to march across Europe, they did. When the Canadian government asked them to march into Korea, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, they did. When they were asked to march into every hellhole on this earth, they did. They responded to the call.

Now, in their time of need, when they can march no more, what does the current government do? It shuts down nine veterans service centres and turns it back.

Will he reconsider this wrong-minded decision?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we are increasing services to our veterans at more locations and that are more convenient to them. Our government has made record investments to support Canada's veterans, including an increase of almost $5 billion in programs and services since 2006.

I might add, of course, that we on this side of the House are committed and are fulfilling our obligations. They should get on-board and vote with us to support veterans.

The Environment

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as you can see, the Conservatives continue to govern with their blinders on.

We have recently learned that they hired an oil lobbyist to advise them on the transfer of the Experimental Lakes Area. These lakes are international scientific and environmental gems that do not exist anywhere else. The Conservatives do not care about the opinion of scientists. They think that the oil industry is much better suited to make decisions about scientific research.

Why did the Conservatives hire a friend of the oil industry to consult on the Experimental Lakes Area?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been active in assisting and facilitating the future ownership of the former Experimental Lakes Area. This decision was made by departmental officials due to Mr. Protti's experience and skills in many sectors, not just the oil and gas sector, which they felt could be relevant in creating a solid financial base for a potential new operator.

The department is very optimistic that a suitable arrangement for the operation of the Experimental Lakes Area will be in place very shortly.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government's attacks on the Experimental Lakes Area program have defied common sense. Its experiments were critical in helping us better understand things like acid rain, phosphates, and the environmental impacts of the oil sands development.

However, news that the Conservatives hired an oil lobbyist to advise them on the ELA begins to make things a lot more clear.

When will the government start listening to scientists on science rather than to oil lobbyists?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Province of Ontario concerning the Experimental Lakes Area. We are working toward a final agreement by March of this year.

The Government of Canada is close to being able to return the ELA site to Ontario in a safe and clean condition.

The decision to hire Mr. Protti was made by departmental officials because he had plenty of experience and skills in many areas, including oil and gas, and that, it was felt, would be of great benefit to a potential operator.

Public Service of Canada

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, time and again we have seen the government's lack of respect for public service employees. Now the Conservatives are turning to a fear campaign. The Conservative government is trying to clamp down on whistleblowers. Public service representatives are reporting intimidation and monitoring. This is simply unacceptable.

Will the minister condemn these practices, rein in his managers and protect the right of free speech of our public service employees?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, certainly this is not the policy of this government to have that campaign that the member refers to. Our managers are professionals; they have to act professionally in all cases. But I would say to the hon. member that it is our duty as the government to be fair and reasonable in our negotiations with the public service, which we will continue to be and, of course, at the same time, represent the taxpayer, which the NDP knows nothing about.

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a witch hunt is not fairness.

The reality is that intimidation is going on within federal departments. This intimidation needs to stop right away, and the President of the Treasury Board needs to rein in his managers.

Shop stewards in the federal public service are being subjected to a fear campaign. We know about the Conservatives's anti-union stance, so we can imagine where the directive came from. These intimidation tactics do not belong in the workplace.

Will the President of the Treasury Board issue a directive to his managers and protect the right of free speech of our public servants?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the policy of our government or our managers.

Our goal, our challenge, is to be reasonable and fair to public servants, of course, but also to taxpayers, who are footing the bill.

Small Business

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, as a former small business owner, I remember the stress of complying with burdensome and ineffective government regulations. We know the NDP's position on red tape is that more is better, and the only rules the leader of the third party wants to get rid of are those ones that protect our children from dangerous drugs.

Would the President of the Treasury Board please update the House, Canadians and small business owners on what the government is going to do to reduce the regulatory burden on Canadian businesses?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, this is one of the top concerns of Canadian businesses, particularly Canadian small businesses, that all levels of government continue to tackle red tape.

I am looking forward to introducing in this chamber a red tape reduction act, which as an informal policy has already saved small businesses $20 million and 98,000 hours of time filling out government forms. Now the leader of the Liberal Party has called this a gimmick. This is the gimmicker in chief over there calling this a gimmick, but we are going to continue to stand on behalf of the taxpayers and small businesses.

Canada Post

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives voted to end a service that so many Canadians depend on. Did none of the Conservatives think of Canada's seniors? At this time of year, temperatures are freezing and sidewalks are slippery. Services like home mail delivery make it possible for seniors to live out their retirement in dignity in their own homes.

How can the minister possibly justify pulling the rug out from under our seniors?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, there are one billion fewer pieces of mail being put in the system than there were in 2006, and as a result Canada Post is facing an issue with respect to its business model. It has chosen to put together a five-point action plan and has the support of the government.