Debates of Jan. 31st, 2014

National Defence

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we rely on the independent commissioner for that assessment, who has indicated that CSEC has spared no efforts to instill within CSEC a culture of respect for the law and for the privacy of Canadians. I can say with pride and confidence that CSEC is truly being watched. That is the independent commissioner.

Natural Resources

[Dick Harris, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our government knows that the Keystone XL pipeline will create jobs and economic growth in Canada and the United States. Furthermore, the pipeline will enhance North American energy security by displacing foreign oil. While the NDP puts ideology before the facts again and again, our Conservative government is focused on ensuring working families have good-paying, long-lasting jobs.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources tell the House how the Keystone XL pipeline will support Canadian workers?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this pipeline will create tens of thousands of jobs in Canada and the United States. The New Democrats have turned their backs on workers. Just listen to the International Union of Operating Engineers, who said, “We are disappointed that the NDP has chosen to completely ignore the benefit of pipeline construction to working Canadians...”.

It is time for the NDP to stand up for Canadian workers.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, last September, Health Canada published a document entitled “Action to Protect Bees from Exposure to Neonicotinoid Pesticides”.

This document clearly shows that these pesticides negatively affect bees. An increasing number of studies, such as the one by Health Canada, show that there are clear links between neonicotinoids and the declining bee population.

Why are the Conservatives not taking real action to stop the decline in Canada's bee population?

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, when concerns were identified with this pesticide, our department took immediate steps to re-evaluate the information and to work with our international partners. Based on the best science that is currently available, we have brought in new rules and regulations for the 2014 growing season. We are taking this issue very seriously.

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

Mr. Speaker, people are concerned that the current government is not doing enough to protect our pollinators and that we need a rigorous series of risk-based assessments and scientific study, not just gambling with the livelihoods of farmers. Other jurisdictions are taking clear and decisive action to protect bee populations.

Why are the Conservatives risking the livelihoods of farmers, and why are they not taking this issue seriously?

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I just indicated, we are working with our international partners and we have brought in new rules and regulations for the 2014 growing season.

Just to reassure the members opposite, though, over 200 types of scientific studies must be submitted before a pesticide is approved in our nation.

Rail Transportation

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the railway is vital for the economic development of the Pontiac RCM. Nonetheless, CN has started lifting the tracks. It took an injunction to force CN to keep the line intact. The community's concerns are clear.

Will the Minister of Transport finally intervene in order to find a solution, listen to the community and guarantee the future of this section of rail line, and especially the economic future of the region?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that there is a regulatory process for the discontinuance of railways, and that process is being followed.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives said that they do not intend to invest in the rail line linking Bathurst to Miramichi, which allows VIA Rail to transport passengers in Acadia.

The Conservatives are killing VIA Rail service in eastern New Brunswick and eastern Canada, and the Conservative members for Miramichi and Madawaska—Restigouche have not said a word.

Will New Brunswick's Conservative MPs show some backbone and oppose their government's decision?

New Brunswick has eight Conservative MPs, and they are not working on behalf of the province of New Brunswick.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know, with respect to the Newcastle subdivision, that this was a business decision made by a private company. There is a regulatory process in place, which the company is following. While the discontinuance process is under way, CN is responsible for maintaining its track infrastructure. As previously indicated, the federal government has no interest in acquiring this rail line through the discontinuance process.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, improving the relationships and partnerships with the aboriginal people of Canada is an actual pre-condition to unlocking the natural resource and energy wealth in Canada. Instead, the government is actually gutting the capacity of indigenous people to engage in a meaningful way.

This week, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations was forced to lay off almost its entire workforce, 66 people, to cope with the $2 million cuts imposed by the current government. How can the government build the needed trust and partnerships with aboriginal peoples while systematically robbing them of their voice?

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, we are focusing our funding on projects that generate tangible results while respecting taxpayer dollars.

The objective is to ensure that funding is directed at priorities, such as initiatives that contribute to economic development and education, and to also eliminate the duplication of projects.

Resources will be focused on projects that result in concrete and positive impacts on the aboriginal people, as they are intended. For example, in our last budget we indicated a four-year investment of $241 million to help first nations youth ensure they got the skills they need to get a job.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, the Government of South Korea employs a number of non-tariff techniques in order to circumvent free trade deals.

In its rush to sign deals, the Conservative government appears to be prepared to throw Ontario's auto industry under the bus.

Will the minister specifically contact the Ontario government and address the concerns raised by the Ontario government that it get the same deal that the U.S. demanded and received for Michigan?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, negotiations are under way, and the government will only sign a trade agreement that is in the best interests of Canada.

It is also critical to know—and the Ontario government knows well—that the European Union, Australia, and the United States have signed deals with South Korea. Since the U.S. signed in 2012, we have lost $1.5 billion in exports to that country.

We are here to ensure that a free trade agreement with South Korea will level the playing field and ensure Canadian exporters have opportunities and more jobs for Canadians.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the work of the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women is coming to an end, and the conclusion is obvious: we need to take action to avoid having to start over and produce another report that will simply gather dust.

The NDP has taken action by moving a motion calling for a concrete action plan to put an end to violence against women.

Will the government support our plan?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that this is an appalling situation.

Violence against aboriginal women and violence against children, in particular, remains an enormous problem in this country, which is why, as a government, we have taken decisive action. We have, in fact, made a number of changes within the Criminal Code that put more emphasis on holding offenders accountable.

We have established and invested more than $25 million specifically on an initiative aimed at attacking this issue. We have established a National Centre for Missing Persons, enhanced the Canadian Police Information Centre database, and given police more resources.

We hope this member and her party will support this.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is not enough, and it is time for more than just words.

Many groups have spoken out at the committee about the flaws. We have seen no change from the Conservatives. It is clear that aboriginal women deserve more than just another report that is going to gather dust. They deserve answers.

When will the government agree to an inquiry and to concrete steps to end violence against aboriginal women?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the numerous concrete, substantive financial investments and measures taken by the government, and very often opposed by the member and her party.

We have in fact supported development of school and community pilot projects aimed specifically at reducing violence among young aboriginal women. We have supported the development and adaptation of victim services so that people are culturally aware, culturally tuned in to what aboriginal first nations need, and developed a comprehensive list of best practices to help communities and law enforcement and justice partners in future work.

We have worked with the aboriginal communities to develop their own safety on-reserve plans. We have, of course, changed to give matrimonial property act provisions—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London.

Small Business

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, small business owners in my riding have been telling me how happy they are that our government is standing up for them by legislating on the one-for-one rule.

I understand that the rule has been in place less formally for the past year. I hope that the parliamentary secretary can give us some examples of how the rule has worked for us in this past year.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great question and I am happy to answer for the hon. member.

On this side of the House, we are proud to have heard and listened to the calls of Canadian business owners. Here is a concrete example of how we have helped. The one-for-one rule has resulted in allowing pharmacy technicians to transfer drugs to other pharmacies, a practice previously restricted only to pharmacists. This has enabled pharmacists to spend more time providing service and advice to customers while saving them $15 million.

Contrast that to the Liberal leader. It seems that the only drug transfers that he would make more effective are the ones sold by dangerous—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis.

Health

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, drug compounding companies are not federally regulated like drug manufacturers, nor provincially regulated like pharmacies. In the Marchese case, an error by a compounder resulted in cancer patients receiving diluted doses of a chemotherapy drug. The Obama administration has brought compounders under federal law, treating these companies more like drug manufacturers. Will the government apply federal standards for drug manufacturers to compounding companies to avoid a balkanized regulatory regime that varies from province to province?

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that Canadian families need access to high quality and safe medications. Health Canada scientists review all drugs approved for sale in Canada based on a rigorous review, to ensure health, safety, and efficacy.