House of Commons Hansard #129 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was africa.

Topics

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Delta—Richmond East B.C.

Conservative

Kerry-Lynne Findlay ConservativeMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, the CRA has been fully transparent on this while respecting the strict privacy provisions of the Income Tax Act. In fact, in a recent message to all CRA employees, the commissioner and deputy commissioner said, to be clear, “the process for identifying which charities will be audited (for any reason) is handled by the Directorate itself”, and like all audit activities, it “is not subject to political direction”.

Further, the director told the media that neither the Prime Minister's Office nor Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay's office had any say in the audit—

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Order, please. The minister knows not to use the proper name of the individual, even if it is her own.

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC

Mr. Speaker, what ever happened to ministerial responsibility?

We have seen the Conservatives go after environmentalists, human rights groups, international development groups and yes, even bird-watchers, pretty well anyone who may disagree with them. However, a new report suggests that right-wing charities get a different ride.

Annual filings from 10 right-wing charities showed no political activities on their part; none, in spite of the fact that their websites are full of advocacy. Can the minister explain this double standard?

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Delta—Richmond East B.C.

Conservative

Kerry-Lynne Findlay ConservativeMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, the opposition critic for the CRA received the full technical briefing from CRA charity directorate officials, including the director general, on how charities are selected for audit and how these audits are conducted. The director general said publicly:

As I have made clear in the past, the process for identifying which charities will be audited (for any reason) is handled by the Directorate itself and is not subject to political direction.

It is shameful that this member and his party are using their own political agenda on the backs of hard-working public—

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

Order, please. The hon. member for Bourassa.

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC

Mr. Speaker, Canada promised $60 million to help fight Ebola in West Africa, but just $4.3 million has been sent.

Why? We are talking about 4,500 deaths and 9,000 cases. Is that not alarming enough?

When will the Conservative government make that money available?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Mégantic—L'Érable Québec

Conservative

Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie

Mr. Speaker, since April, we have taken a leadership role in this crisis. We have been leaders and we have worked with the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders, the Canadian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Resources are being deployed so we can continue to work with credible organizations, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF.

Canadians can be proud of our contribution, which is one of the most significant in the world. We will be there to respond to this crisis.

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Mr. Speaker, the WHO and UN have called for more medical personnel to fight Ebola in West Africa and the international community has accepted the call. Yesterday the Minister of Health said no Canadian personnel would be sent without an evacuation plan. So far, the United States, European Commission and WHO have engaged contractors to facilitate the emergency transport of medical personnel, if needed.

Who has the minister met with with respect to developing an evacuation plan? What steps has the minister taken to put a plan in place?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Edmonton—Spruce Grove Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, I can reassure the member that we have taken many steps and we have evaluated many options, including commercial options, options with the Department of National Defence and with the department of defence in the United States.

We do currently have an agreement with the U.S. with a commercial operator contractor that it uses called Phoenix Air. We appreciate the generosity and access to those planes, but they are very limited and we will not send any more medical personnel unless we have guaranteed medical evacuation.

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, Bloomberg reports that the Gates Foundation and two U.S. companies want to expand U.S. production of monoclonal antibodies to treat Ebola by using CHO cells, but we have the capacity to manufacture it in Canada as well. Our Public Health Agency of Canada developed Ebola antibodies and our National Research Council owns the CHO cell line. There are Canadian companies that could take these and manufacture a supply.

Should the government mandate that Canada have its own supply of this Ebola treatment?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Edmonton—Spruce Grove Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the member recognizes the great work that has gone on over the past 10 years by Public Health Agency of Canada researchers and scientists to develop not only the treatments that he is mentioning but also the vaccine. I am happy to inform the member that, yes, we are pursuing all options to make sure that Canada can have a domestic supply. Of course, in doing that we will also look to Canadian companies.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised reconciliation with the 2008 residential schools apology, yet the Conservative government is facing an unprecedented human rights tribunal for systematically discriminating against first nations children on reserve, providing them with 22% less funding for child welfare services than what other children receive.

Its own experts have confirmed this shortfall. How can the Prime Minister justify treating children on reserve as second-class citizens?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Madawaska—Restigouche New Brunswick

Conservative

Bernard Valcourt ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, that statement by the hon. member is totally false. Protecting women and children, in particular on reserve, is and remains a priority of our government. That is why since 2006 we have introduced a prevention-based approach to delivering child and family services.

I know the opposing party often measures the deed by the size of the investment. Since 2006, we have increased our investment by 40% to over $400 million for these services.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, the failure of the government to protect the basic rights of first nations children on reserve is an absolute shame. We have more first nations children removed from their homes and put in foster care than at the height of the residential school era. This is unacceptable in a country as rich as Canada. When will the government stop discriminating against first nations children and start funding child welfare at the same standards and quality as all other services in the country?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Madawaska—Restigouche New Brunswick

Conservative

Bernard Valcourt ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Mr. Speaker, the health, safety and well-being of first nations children is a priority. I remember that very party opposing, for example, the matrimonial property legislation introduced to protect women and children on reserve. They ignore the fact that our government invested close to $630 million in child and family services on reserve, which represents an increase of 40% since 2006. We will continue to take action to ensure that children and families have the support they need.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

Mr. Speaker, sadly, it is not just first nations children that the government treats as second-class citizens.

In first nations communities struggling with high unemployment, the government is still allowing employers to bring in temporary foreign workers. Why? Because the government is simply not counting first nations unemployment.

The Conservatives' latest round of program reforms do nothing to address this gaping loophole. What is the minister going to do to ensure that job opportunities in their own communities actually benefit aboriginal Canadians?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Calgary Southeast Alberta

Conservative

Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism

Mr. Speaker, the preamble to the question was the opposite of the truth. In fact, employers, in applying for labour market impact assessments to invite temporary foreign workers, have to demonstrate first that they have reached out to groups that are under-represented in the Canadian labour force, including persons with disabilities, Canadian youth, recent immigrants, and specifically, aboriginal Canadians.

Consistently, our message to employers is that they must redouble their efforts to hire and train unemployed Canadians, particularly aboriginal and other Canadians, before we will even consider their applications to bring in temporary foreign workers.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Sadia Groguhé NDP Saint-Lambert, QC

Mr. Speaker, first nations throughout the country are particularly hard hit by unemployment. However, the government acts as though these unemployed Canadians do not even exist, as was pointed out by a researcher at McMaster University.

In some regions, they are not even included when unemployment rates are calculated. These misleading statistics mean that temporary foreign workers are brought in when there are first nations people without work.

Will the government act to resolve this problem and prevent the temporary foreign worker program from increasing the unemployment rate among Canadians?

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Calgary Southeast Alberta

Conservative

Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism

Mr. Speaker, if the NDP were a serious opposition, it would listen to what I am saying.

Every time I talk about the temporary foreign worker program, every time I talk about the so-called labour shortage, I say that we should be hiring, training and bringing together unemployed aboriginal people so that we can connect them with available jobs. It is urgent that we do so, and that is the message we are sending to employers every day. Employers who apply to bring in foreign workers have to make an effort to hire aboriginal workers.

National DefenceOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB

Mr. Speaker, I ask all Canadians to take a moment today to think about the men and women of the Canadian Forces, and particularly 4 Wing Cold Lake, who are currently deploying to combat ISIL.

This terrorist group, ISIL, has been carrying out a murderous rampage across Iraq, seizing territory and killing men, women and children in the most brutal ways imaginable. Make no mistake, if left unchecked, these terrorists represent a threat to Canada and to Canadians.

Canada will do its part in fighting this threat. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence please update the House on Operation Impact and Canada's contribution to fighting ISIL?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Selkirk—Interlake Manitoba

Conservative

James Bezan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Westlock—St. Paul for his unwavering support for the members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Preparations for Operation Impact are well under way. Today, a group of CF-18 Hornet fighter jets departed from 4 Wing Cold Lake to be deployed in Kuwait, where combat operations against ISIL will soon begin. Our government has a duty to protect Canadians and to stand firm with our allies in opposition to the unspeakable atrocities being carried out by ISIL against innocent children, women and men.

Our pilots, air crew and serving members are among the best in the world. All Canadians are proud of our men and women in uniform, who are dedicated to providing safety and security whenever they are called upon.

Consumer ProtectionOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Glenn Thibeault NDP Sudbury, ON

Mr. Speaker, CBC's Marketplace has identified the dumbest charges that Canadian consumers pay: ATM fees, pay-to-pay fees, airline fees, and touch-tone fees. However, every time we raise the issue, the response is the same. The minister crosses his fingers, hoping for corporate knights in shining armour to ride in with voluntary codes and save the day.

The minister knows, just as Canadians know, that this is not happening. Why the failure to stop companies from charging these dumb fees? When will the government stop the nickel and diming of Canadians?

Consumer ProtectionOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Crowfoot Alberta

Conservative

Kevin Sorenson ConservativeMinister of State (Finance)

Mr. Speaker, Canadian consumers deserve access to credit on fair and transparent terms. That is why we have taken action to protect Canadian consumers by banning unsolicited credit card cheques, requiring clear and simple information, providing timely advance notice of rates and fee changes, limiting anti-consumer business practices, and ensuring that prepaid cards never expire.

Our Conservative government believes that with better information, Canadian consumers can make informed decisions in their best interests.

Consumer ProtectionOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Annick Papillon NDP Québec, QC

Mr. Speaker, in its throne speech a year ago, the government promised to put an end to this kind of excessive fees, but nothing has been done. Consumers are tired of paying the abusive fees charged by banks and telecom companies. Consumers sometimes even have to pay just to get their bills. Can you imagine? Despite the Conservatives' promises, many companies continue to gouge consumers.

When will the Conservatives take real action and support the NDP's proposals to make life more affordable for Canadians?

Consumer ProtectionOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam B.C.

Conservative

James Moore ConservativeMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, that is not at all the case. We have taken action in the past, and we will certainly do so in the future.

On the specific question on the issue of pay-to-pay billing, it is true that our government is taking action. We made a commitment in the throne speech. This Parliament passed that throne speech with the votes of the government side, and we will be introducing legislation to realize that this week.

If New Democrats are true, and there is lots of noise from the NDP side, I look forward to the NDP actually voting for the Conservative motion that will stand up for Canadian consumers.