House of Commons Hansard #134 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was jobs.
Thomas Mulcair NDPLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister understands, as do Canadians, the fundamental difference between the horrific acts of a profoundly disturbed individual and organized terror.
That being said, if there is one thing that we will agree on, it is the importance of keeping Canadians safe. I would like to know if the Prime Minister would accept sitting down with all parties and analyzing the situation in order to decide together the best legislative reaction to these horrific events.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
There is, of course, Mr. Speaker, no contradiction to individuals who may have a series of personal financial and mental difficulties and also be engaged in terrorist Jihadist activities as, indeed, the police have already said.
We do not think it helps Canadians to do anything but address these matters head on, face them for what they are, and this government will take its responsibilities seriously and bring forward measures to protect the country.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, keeping Canadians safe in a way consistent with Canadian values is one of our highest responsibilities. In order to do that, we must ensure both the security of Canadians and the protection of their rights.
We are the only one of the Five Eyes allies without one, so will the government create an all-party national security oversight committee?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in fact, under successive governments of different political stripes, the government has long had a system of effective oversight of CSIS and our security agencies. Those oversight bodies have long concluded that these organizations respect their mandates within the law and do a good job of protecting Canadians. It is a system that works and we will continue moving forward.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, again, keeping Canadians safe while respecting their rights is one of our greatest responsibilities as parliamentarians.
Will the government follow the lead of our closest allies and create an all-party democratic oversight committee?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I just answered that question.
I must say once again that while, obviously, we always recognize that certain risks exist, I do not think we should start from the assumption that everything our police and security agencies do are somehow a threat to the rights of Canadians.
On the contrary, more often than not, security and rights find themselves on the same side of the ledger and Canadians do not have effective rights unless we can ensure their security, and that is what we intend to do.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister needs to know that oversight is as much about ensuring that everything is done to protect Canadians as it is to protecting their rights.
In 2006 Justice O'Connor's inquiry into the Arar case made clear recommendations for improving national security training, co-ordination and oversight. Will the government's upcoming legislation finally act on those recommendations?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Once again, Mr. Speaker, we have acted. The truth of the matter is that we have the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency, an organization that we believe works hard, that is dedicated to protecting Canadians.
Oversight of that body, effective oversight over a long period of time, has determined that this organization is not only effective at protecting Canadians but works within the scope of the law. We will continue to enforce that oversight and we thank those people for the hard work that they do on our behalf.
Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC
Mr. Speaker, as we consider how to respond to last week's terrible events, one thing is clear. We need an approach that protects both public safety and our civil liberties. Today, the Information and Privacy Commissioners issued a joint statement underlining this fact.
Will the government listen to their recommendations and ensure that any new legislation contains new and effective oversight for our intelligence agencies?
Steven Blaney ConservativeMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, we are already listening to those recommendations. That is exactly the balance that this bill strikes. We have a balanced bill that clarifies the mandate, role and responsibilities of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service with respect to the protection of Canadians. I invite the opposition to support this bill and the measures that we will introduce to protect Canadians. That is the main role of a state and the government.
Rosane Doré Lefebvre NDP Alfred-Pellan, QC
Mr. Speaker, the CSIS civilian oversight system is not working.
We are still waiting for the government to act on the recommendations made by the 2006 commission of inquiry on the Maher Arar case. Eight years have gone by.
We recently learned that CSIS is refusing to answer to its civilian oversight committee, which is quite simply unacceptable.
If the minister is proposing to give additional powers to CSIS, why is he not giving more powers to its civilian oversight committee?
Steven Blaney ConservativeMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, by clarifying the role of CSIS, Bill C-44 will facilitate oversight activities.
That is why I invite the opposition to support a balanced bill that will strengthen the security of Canadians while keeping a balance between civil rights and the protection of Canadians, which is the primary responsibility of a state.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government continues to allow the rail industry to regulate itself.
How can we trust this government when the Transportation Safety Board believes that it has proven incapable of monitoring the industry?
Recently, we learned that 254 accidents were not reported, and all the minister is doing is saying that she is not happy.
Will the minister finally increase the number of inspectors and impose heavy fines on the offending companies?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, indeed, we have already increased the number of inspectors in this country. We put $100 million into this file.
More importantly, we continue to work on the rail safety measures because we want to ensure that we have a transportation system that works.
The unfortunate incident in Lac-Mégantic was due to the fact that somebody did not follow the rules. We have rules in place for a reason. They are being prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law and that is the appropriate way to deal with it.
Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Mr. Speaker, this is how it is. The minister continues to make promises, but nothing concrete has been done since the Lac-Mégantic disaster that would instill confidence in Canadians.
Hundreds of accidents are not being reported and safety plans are not carefully followed. Despite all this, the minister refuses to take action.
Why does the minister not immediately start imposing heavy fines on the offending companies?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I have issued numerous amounts of emergency directives. We have also included ministerial orders to ensure that we have the safest system that we can in Canada.
We have also invested in rail safety, increasing the budgets for rail safety year after year to ensure that they have the resources they need at Transport Canada to do the work that we expect them to do, and they will continue to do that work.
Matthew Kellway NDP Beaches—East York, ON
Mr. Speaker, the minister is missing the point and failing to address the heart of the matter.
In 2009 there was one inspector for every 14 tank cars of oil. Only five years later, there is one inspector for every 4,000. The situation, we know, is getting increasingly dangerous.
Here we have the minister, standing in front of Canadians today, telling them she plans to audit the problem away.
Can the minister see why Canadians will not rest easy with that response?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, the reality in this country is that there are 46,000 kilometres of track.
Over 20 years ago it was recognized that in order to properly deal with the risks and inspections that we create something called the safety management system. It is world renowned. It is state of the art. That is what we utilize here in Canada.
The Transportation Safety Board has clearly said that it is the way to go. That is what countries do around the world when they are dealing effectively, both with inspections and with audit of safety culture in railways.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, deregulating safety is working so well.
While the Conservatives allowed employers to bring in cheap labour to replace Canadian workers, they were also allowing good, high-paying Canadian jobs to disappear at an astonishing rate.
Over the last decade, Liberal and Conservative governments, under their watch, 600,000 manufacturing jobs have vanished. Far too many communities have been devastated by the government's unwillingness to act.
Where is the government strategy to create good manufacturing jobs here in Canada?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 Canada went from sixth to second in Bloomberg's ranking of the best places in the world to create jobs based on the growth that we have seen in manufacturing which, this year, is up 25% since the dearth of the recession.
Further to that, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, if she is looking for action, pointed to this year's budget that is before the Parliament of Canada, that the NDP is free to vote for, and noted that budget 2014 will assist manufacturers and exports in finding and training skilled workers, lowering regulatory costs and help win major new investments in Canada to create jobs.
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives do not have a job creation plan. In fact, they have put all their eggs in one basket. Now that the oil industry is slowing down, they are caught unprepared, without a strategy to revitalize the manufacturing industry. How many layoffs will it take—like the ones at Electrolux in L'Assomption, at Masonite in Berthierville, at Fortress in Thurso, at Société Laurentide in Shawinigan and at Cascades in East Angus—for the Conservatives to understand that they need to provide better support for jobs in the manufacturing industry?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Industry
Mr. Speaker, we are taking action and we have taken action in the past. We announced new measures in budget 2014 to ensure that our system and our economy, which both rely on manufacturers, are in good shape for the future.
We have a number of measures in budget 2014 that speak directly to the item that the NDP is raising in the Parliament of Canada. Unfortunately, NDP members have said they will vote against the budget, before they read it; they will ignore the advice from the experts; and they will ignore the advice from the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association who, on the very front lines of Canada's manufacturing community, has said these measures in the budget that we have before the Parliament of Canada are in the best interests of Canadian manufacturing.
It is time that the NDP stands with us and stands with them.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, since growth in the oil industry is slowing and the manufacturing sector has stalled, we would have expected the Conservatives to use the budget implementation bill to breathe some life into the job market. However, all that they decided to do was to dip into the EI fund to finance a bad plan that has already been lambasted by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Allocating $550 million to create 800 jobs is ridiculous.
How does the minister explain his inability to create jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector, when we have given him all kinds of suggestions?
Joe Oliver ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, our hiring credit for small business will cut employment insurance payroll costs by 15% and will help businesses save more than $550 million.
The CFIB says that the credit will create 25,000 person-years of employment. We are reducing payroll costs for 90% of businesses.
The Liberals and the NDP support a 40- to 45-day work year.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I bet that plan looked great when the minister sketched it out on the back of a napkin.
There are 600,000 lost manufacturing jobs and Conservatives refuse to even acknowledge that there is a problem. There is a dramatic drop in oil prices. With youth unemployment still at twice the national average and virtually no growth in private-sector jobs for more than a year, Canadians expect their government to bring forward ideas.
Instead, we have a 460-page omnibus bill that does nothing to help get youth back to work, does nothing to help bring those manufacturing jobs back and does nothing to help stimulate growth in the private sector.
When is the minister going to drop his failed attempt and EI plan, spending $0.5 billion for 800 jobs, and give Canadians a job plan that they can actually believe in?