Debates of Oct. 20th, 2014

Canada Post

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

Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day. As of this morning, 11 communities have lost home mail delivery. Residents of cities such as Winnipeg, Charlemagne, Kanata and Rosemère will no longer have their mail delivered at home. That is completely unjustified and absurd. Moreover, because of the Conservatives' bad management, the end of home mail delivery is now before the courts. Who would have thought that people would one day have to go to court to maintain such an essential service as mail delivery?

Will the Conservatives finally listen to angry citizens and reverse this senseless decision?

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

Mr. Speaker, obviously, Canadians are using the mail service less than they did before. There were 1.2 billion fewer letters in 2013 since 2006. We expect Canada Post to operate in a way that is financially sustainable. It has a five-point plan it is taking action on.

Maybe the member should listen to the FCM which revisited this issue and by a two-thirds margin voted against reversing those changes at Canada Post.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are telling us that they want to keep this service, but the Conservatives are not listening. Door-to-door mail delivery service will end today for tens of thousands right across Canada. These cuts will unfairly impact the most vulnerable Canadians, including seniors and persons living with disabilities. People are indeed angry.

Why has the minister refused to tell Canada Post to go back to the drawing board and maintain door-to-door delivery for millions of households?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member well knows that Canada Post is an arm's-length crown corporation that is responsible for its operational decisions. It also has a legislative mandate to not be a financial burden to the taxpayers of this country. It has a serious and growing problem with 1.2 billion fewer letters being delivered than just a few years ago and deficits which the Conference Board of Canada suggests will reach $1 billion by 2020. It had to take urgent action. It has a five-point plan and it is implementing it.

National Defence

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, fully one-third of Canadian Armed Forces members feel that disclosing a mental health issue threatens to end their career. This speaks to continued problems in military mental health that the government has failed to adequately address. In the last five years, more than 1,000 soldiers have been medically discharged before they qualified for a pension. For those who come forward, wait times for assessment can take over 100 days and there are still 40 vacant military mental health positions.

More than nine months after the minister promised to act, where is the action?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we have one of the highest ratios of mental health workers for soldiers in all of NATO, and we can all be very proud of that. We can be proud of the fact, again, that the government has invested considerable money, resources, and talent into this. We have doubled the number of health care workers in this area. We want to reach out to those men and women in the armed forces because it is the right thing to do.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a very disturbing new report shows that one-third of Canadian Armed Forces members feel it can be a bad career move to seek mental health help. Many military personnel are afraid of being discharged for medical reasons and losing their pension.

Is the Minister of National Defence aware of this situation? Does he plan to do something to ensure that our soldiers have unencumbered access to the mental health services they are entitled to?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we have been taking action since we took office. This is why we have approximately 415 full-time mental health workers. This is why we have doubled the budget in this area. We want to make sure that the men and women in uniform have the support they need, and they will get that from this government and these armed forces.

Public Safety

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, there are unconfirmed reports of a possible terror attack against two members of the Canadian Armed Forces near Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Can the Prime Minister please update the House on this matter?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are aware of these reports and they are obviously extremely troubling. First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we will make available all of the resources of the federal government.

Once again, we are aware of these very troubling reports. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are keeping a close eye on the situation and will make all of the federal government's resources available.

The Environment

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have gutted our environmental assessment process, and now the Port of Québec is conducting its own environmental impact assessment of its infrastructure projects, including its expansion project. That is ridiculous.

How can the government claim that this process is fair and transparent when the Québec Port Authority is assessing its own projects?

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, the new building Canada plan is open for business. It has been open for business for many months. As we know, provinces identify their infrastructure project priorities. We look forward to receiving those project priorities from provinces across the country, including Quebec. Many projects have already been received and have already been approved. We are working closely with municipalities and provinces to deliver Canada's largest and longest infrastructure plan in our nation's history.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to get back to the question, because it makes no sense that the Port of Québec is assessing the environmental impact of its own project.

The port has failed to deal with pollution problems. My bill would enable the Commissioner of the Environment to assess environmental plans submitted by Canadian port authorities. This would at least fill the gap when there is no credible process.

Why is the government refusing to have the Port of Québec expansion project undergo a credible assessment?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that even though the Port of Québec is independent and arm's length in its operations, we have made it very clear to the Port of Québec that it should be working on consulting the local community. When it comes to its developmental projects, we know that it has involved and been working with its tenants as well to lower dust emissions in the port. We expect them to continue that work.

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, no one has any faith in the credibility of the Conservatives' environmental assessment process, aside from the Liberal leader, who continues to claim that the deck is not stacked in favour of the oil company in Cacouna.

A week ago, thousands of people demonstrated against the oil port project. Last Saturday, a number of volunteers help me consult hundreds of people in Cacouna.

Does the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans understand that this project violates all of the principles of sustainable development and that it certainly does not have the acceptance of the community to move forward?

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

Mr. Speaker, DFO allowed this exploratory work to go ahead because it was clear it would not result in harm to marine life.

DFO has a process, and we have scientists who are specifically devoted to marine mammals. One of our top priorities is the protection of our marine species. It is clear in our legislation and it is clear in our process. To date, there has not been an application for a project that has even come forward.

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the thousands who demonstrated against the Cacouna oil terminal project just add to the many resolutions passed by the municipalities and the consensus of scientists studying the ecosystem of the belugas. The promoter has not been able to demonstrate the social acceptability of his project because it will only be used to export unprocessed oil.

Why does the minister insist on defending a bill that will result in job losses, does not have the requisite social acceptability, and constitutes an unacceptable environmental threat?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, the current work that was allowed is only exploratory work. There has not been an application for a project yet, and when there is an application for a project, that will go through the proper review process.

Housing

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have listened with interest during my first month in Parliament to the grossly inadequate housing announcements by the federal government across the way.

For Canada's largest city, Toronto, these agreements mean, wait for it, that 60 new units of affordable housing a year will now be built. At this rate, with Toronto's wait list at close to 90,000 people waiting for shelter, people are being told they would have to wait for 1,500 years to get housing.

Do the Conservatives really think this is a reasonable amount of time for a person waiting for a house, 1,500 years? Or, do they think they can fool Canadians by simply announcing $800 million over and over again?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the question. It has taken a very long time to get a question on housing from that new member.

I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in terms of supporting the provinces. That member might not realize, but there is life outside of Toronto.

Across Canada, provinces are investing in housing with the funds that we have provided. I have just made announcements across the country. We are very proud of our investments.

We will continue to support the provinces and cities across the country that know how to address their housing needs.

Taxation

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when budget 2013 was presented, credit unions and caisse populaires were surprised to see the government cut a 40-year-old measure that helped them build capital and be competitive with the big banks.

The Credit Union Central of Canada and Mouvement Desjardins are proposing that a new capital tax credit be included in the next budget in order to stimulate growth in the credit union and caisse populaires sector, and thereby help small businesses, especially where the big banks do not have a branch.

Will the government move ahead with this proposal?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes that credit unions are an important part of the financial sector and provide a competitive service to the banks. However, it is important that businesses compete on a level tax playing field.

Small credit unions will continue to have access to the small business tax rate on their first $500,000 of income like every other small business in Canada.

Public Safety

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the investigation into the collapse of the Elliot Lake shopping mall shows that this tragedy could have been avoided.

The report also shows that, in such a situation, the work of urban search and rescue teams is essential. Nevertheless, in 2012, the Conservatives made cuts to this program, thereby limiting the ability of these teams to act.

Will the minister learn from the Elliot Lake tragedy and stop cutting programs that help ensure the safety and security of Canadians?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that question. That was indeed a tragic event that did happen.

I will take that question under advisement to the minister.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the tragedy that took the lives of Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie Aylwin at the Algo Centre Mall must never, ever be repeated.

Let me reiterate. The final report of the Elliot Lake inquiry underlined the critical importance of a quality heavy urban search and rescue response in such situations. Unfortunately rather than improve these services, in 2012 the Conservatives cut funding for the program that supports these units across the country.

Once again I ask, will the minister listen to this report and restore funding for heavy urban search and rescue? It is not about taking it under advisement; it is about taking action.