Debates of Jan. 29th, 2014

Canada Post

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, by voting in support of the assault on Canada Post that was launched by their $10 million buddies, the Conservatives proved just how out of sync they really are.

Montreal's mayor is very angry, and rightly so. Urban centres simply do not have space for community mailboxes. In addition, there has been a total disregard for people with reduced mobility and the thousands of jobs that could vanish in the blink of an eye.

Why are the Conservatives stubbornly supporting such a flawed plan instead of doing what other countries are doing and considering other options to secure the future of a public service that is valued by Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, Canada Post is an arm's-length crown corporation and makes its own decisions on a day-to-day basis. One of the decisions that it has taken is to address its issues with respect to its business model by putting this five-point action plan together.

However, the reality of the situation is that currently two thirds of Canadian households already receive their mail in these community mailboxes. The other one third will be converted to do the same over the next five years.

[Hélène LeBlanc, NDP, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives have shown that they are completely out of touch with Canadians.

There are other ways to maintain current levels of service. For example, Canada Post could start offering banking services. The postal service is dealing with some challenges, but it is worth pointing out that the past 16 years have been profitable even though top executives are getting paid $10 million. Why are the Conservatives supporting this move to dismantle Canada Post services instead of looking for solutions?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the way the business model worked at Canada Post in the pre-digital era was very different from the way it does now when people are utilizing email.

With respect to incorporating banking in postal service outlets, it is very clear that Canada Post considered the model and rejected it for the very reason it is having a problem now. Maybe the member should wake up to this, too. People are actually using banking online, just as they are sending correspondence online. The opposition members are trying to solve a problem by creating another problem. No amount of money can get them or tax them out of this situation.

[Manon Perreault, NDP, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the measures that Canada Post decision-makers are proposing, with the support of the Conservatives, will make life even harder for people in wheelchairs and with disabilities. Many will have to wait for paratransit so they can go get their mail.

Will the minister make money available to improve access to paratransit, or will she drive these people to their mailboxes herself?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, in its five-point action plan, Canada Post has outlined a number of things that it will be doing. Of course, these are Canada Post's business decisions.

One of the things it indicated is that it will accommodate the situations it may be facing with respect to people with disabilities, or seniors. It does that already for the two thirds of family households that already receive mail through this method, and it will move the other one third, eventually, over the next five years, to have the same amount of service.

Ethics

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the Conflict of Interest Act is clear. The ministerial handbook is crystal clear: ministers cannot fundraise using people who get money from the department. However, the Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency sent out an email inviting stakeholders to a fundraiser featuring Nellie Cournoyea, head of a group the minister gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to in grants. The minister's office only started handing out free tickets yesterday afternoon when the media started sniffing around.

Why will the Prime Minister not enforce his own ethical rules and stop this illegal fundraising?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member again for raising this question so that I can correct the inaccurate news story. This was an event for a local riding. It was never advertised as anything more, and was fully consistent with the guidelines that are in place.

The local riding association took great care both before and after the event to follow those guidelines, and only appropriate donations were accepted.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the centrepiece of last year's budget, the non-existent Canada job grant, is an appalling boondoggle. How could the government have thought for one second that it would work? Therein lies the mystery. How could the Conservatives have thought that the provinces would agree to a program concocted by the federal government alone and financed by $300 million in cuts to the provinces, forcing them to reduce their own training programs?

Why did the government inflict such a predictable fiasco on Canadian workers?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, it was indeed our government that created this transfer to the provinces to help with job training.

Still, we can do even more, because the goal is for workers to find a good job at the end of training. It is not training just for the sake of training. It is training to create jobs, to increase private sector and corporate investments in job training.

It is a good idea, which is why the vast majority of organizations and businesses supported it.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday when I asked the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food what he was planning to do about the pig virus epidemic, he said, “...this is a provincial issue”.

Does the minister really believe that viruses do not cross provincial boundaries?

Where is the minister's plan to prevent this epidemic from becoming a national crisis? If he actually has a plan, will he share it with his agricultural counterparts in Ontario and Quebec when he speaks with them tomorrow, or is he just simply waiting for the pork industry to have another crisis and eventually collapse?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We stood with the pork industry through the highs and lows they have endured over the last few years and we will continue to do that. Of course, this is a provincial issue. Reporting of PED is a provincial issue.

Having said that, CFIA stands ready to work with the province of record in monitoring, assessing, doing testing, and all of those good things. We as a government have continued to work with the pork sector to build its biosecurity, to make traceability barn to barn workable and usable, and make sure that they have the tools within their tool kit to protect their own barns.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I do not really think that the minister has a plan.

Yesterday, the minister tried to shift all the responsibility for porcine epidemic diarrhea to the provinces. Farmers and pork producers across Canada expect the federal government to present a plan of action to contain the virus. The minister has dropped the ball again. Tomorrow he is meeting with Quebec and Ontario's agriculture ministers.

What is he bringing to the table tomorrow?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that porcine epidemic diarrhea poses no threat to human health. Let us be clear on that.

However, it does pose a risk to pork producers and we are fully aware of that. We are working closely with the Government of Quebec and the people in the pork industry to ensure that they are putting effective biosecurity measures in place.

Natural Resources

[Rob Merrifield, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity, and developing our natural resources sector is absolutely critical in accomplishing that goal.

Recently there has been misinformation in the United States in a TV ad on our energy sector and the Keystone XL pipeline. We have seen propaganda before, but it is usually from the NDP. When those members go to the United States, they go there to hurt Canada's interests. When we go down there, we go down there to promote Canada's interests.

Can the Minister of Natural Resources stand and take this opportunity to set the record straight?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Yellowhead for the relevant question.

This is an over-the-top xenophobic attack ad by an American billionaire who made money trading in oil stocks. It attempts to mislead Americans about the overwhelming advantages of Keystone for both our countries.

In fact, Canadians own over 50% of oil sands reserves, while China's share is about 6%. Furthermore, no oil is designated for export from the United States.

Is the NDP really comfortable in supporting this attack on Canada by a—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Labrador.

National Defence

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in May 2013, the government signed an internal agreement to increase services and staff at CFB Goose Bay, yet it is cutting jobs, eroding services, and providing no explanation. The Conservatives' commitment was to increase support services for training for northern regions, yet nothing has been implemented.

I ask the minister to make good on his commitment to 5 Wing Goose Bay, stop misleading working people, stop misleading and playing political games, and stop cutting first-line military staff in the country.

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. After the decade of darkness that was implemented by the Liberal Party, we have made the support of our men and women in uniform and our armed forces a priority, and we will continue to do so.

Health

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, RU-486 could help women access safe abortions in Canada, especially in remote areas, but it is not yet available. Despite its being available in over 50 countries and being on the World Health Organization's essential medicines list, we know that the Minister of Health and many of her colleagues have a strong anti-choice record.

Can the minister assure this House that an ideological agenda is not behind the delay in approval of RU-486?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, drug approval decisions are made by Health Canada scientists, not by ministers or politicians.

In terms of any delay or timing when it comes to a review of drug submissions, they vary depending on the information that is provided by the manufacturers themselves.

Regional Economic Development

[Bryan Hayes, Conservative, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently the member for Timmins—James Bay celebrated our Conservative government's investments in northern Ontario. He stated:

Timmins—James Bay is a centre for economic development in Ontario. It is good to see that we are getting strong federal investment in the region.

While we agree with the member opposite, it is shameful that the member and his shrinking NDP northern Ontario caucus—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I have not heard anything that has touched on the administration of government in that.

The hon. member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl.

The Environment

[Ryan Cleary, NDP, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Mr. Speaker, it has been more than nine months since the Canadian Coast Guard confirmed the source of oil washing up on the shores of Newfoundland's northeast coast, the sunken paper carrier Manolis L. She went down in 1985 with 500 tonnes of oil aboard. The Coast Guard has made attempts to plug the leaks, but the government must move to stop this environmental disaster once and for all. Everyone agrees that plugging the leaks is a Band-Aid solution.

Will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell the people of my province when this oil will be removed?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to protecting our oceans from oil spills. We have made this clear through our efforts to establish a world-class tanker safety system. That work includes the Coast Guard completing installations of new seals on the Manolis L, which took place on January 18, along with new monitoring equipment. A complete survey of the hull was conducted, and no further leakage was detected.

The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the situation very closely and take the necessary steps to protect our environment. This member should be listening to people like Fogo Island resident Barry Brinson, who said of the Coast Guard, “I think they've done an awesome job”.