Debates of Oct. 8th, 2014

National Defence

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that he could not discuss where Canadian aircraft would be based, as it was an operational detail. The United States openly tells its citizens where its planes are based. It is being reported here in Canada that our planes will be based in Kuwait.

Why can the Prime Minister not give Canadians a straight answer to such a clear question? Is the location of our aircraft top secret or can the Prime Minister simply confirm that they will be based in Kuwait?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the House that the CF-18s will be deployed from 4 Wing Cold Lake, the Polaris will be deployed from 8 Wing Trenton and the Auroras will be deployed from 14 Wing Greenwood.

I know that the military is continuing to work on the deployment plan, and I am not in a position at this point to confirm where that deployment will be.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, many of the refugees from Kobane who entered southern Turkey had already fled their homes in other parts of Syria. In their rush to escape this time, many left with only the clothes on their back. They will soon be facing a cold winter. The humanitarian effort in the region is underfunded.

Does the government intend to offer more than the $10 million in new aid recently announced?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government, as the Minister of International Development said yesterday, has been one of the leading donors to the humanitarian crisis in this region, and we will continue to be so.

However, let us be very clear. There can be no solution to the refugee crisis if we simply let ISIL go on and create millions more refugees in this region. That is part of the reason why this mission is so necessary.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Syrian refugees are now in Turkey, and winter is just around the corner.

Canada could help by meeting its objectives regarding the number of refugees we welcome here.

Will the government provide additional funding to deal with this looming crisis, and will it meet and even increase its own targets?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of International Development has explained from the beginning, the Government of Canada is one of the leading donors to the humanitarian crisis in this region. We will continue to do our part.

The Islamic State terrorist organization is creating millions of refugees, and we will not be able to stop it without military action.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last year Canada proposed an initial Syrian refugee intake target of 1,300, but only 200 are reported to have arrived on Canadian soil so far.

When will last year's target be met, and more importantly, when will that target be increased?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Once again, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has addressed that particular question on a number of occasions.

I look at the numbers that the leader of the Liberal Party is throwing around. We have an organization in the region destabilizing an entire region and threatening to turn yet millions more people into refugees. There is no solution involved in simply a refugee response. If we want to stop ISIL, we have to do more than a refugee and humanitarian response, which we are doing. We also have to take a military response. That is what the international community and Canada are doing.

National Defence

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, “We are going to war with ISIL”.

I have a question for the government. What is its vision of victory? What are its criteria for victory and does it still believe that it can win this war in six months?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that our mission is to degrade the capability of ISIL to commit the terrorist acts that it has been doing. This is part of our greater effort of humanitarian assistance. We have been providing surveillance on the ground. We are going to be deploying our planes.

This is a mission that should have had the support of everybody last night. I am very disappointed in that.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

It is answers like that, Mr. Speaker, that have Canadians worried about mission creep.

Last night, the Conservatives voted against the NDP's alternative plan, which would have kept Canada out of the war in Syria. Nearly all of our allies have put into place clear caveats that will not allow them to go into Syria.

Can the government explain why it has opened the door to Canadian combat in Syria?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear about this mission. We have indicated that it is in Iraq and it is against ISIL. We will be deploying Canadian aircraft from the RCAF, the Polaris, the Auroras and the CF-18s. I am confident that they will get the job done. They will do the right thing and degrade this terrorist organization.

International Development

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we learned this morning in the Toronto Star that a report from the OECD says that in 2013 Canada was among the countries that reduced its foreign aid budget the most. During that same period, the international community globally increased its development assistance budget. In New York, the Prime Minister acknowledged that poverty and underdevelopment can foster conflict.

Does the minister agree? Why not invest more?

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, we want to assist the most vulnerable people around the world and help to lift them out of poverty. Our government has a global reputation for paying what we pledge. Canada has been commended for delivering on its commitments to transparent and accountable development and for doing exactly what we say we are going to do. We will continue to ensure that all Canadians can take pride in our global leadership in development assistance.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the OECD report is clear: Canada is giving less and less development assistance, while the entire international community is giving more and more. In New York, the Prime Minister acknowledged that underdevelopment could create a breeding ground for conflict.

Does the minister agree that now is not the time for cuts, but for additional investments?

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, our commitment is to helping people, globally, be lifted out of poverty and to see a better life in the future.

Canada met all of its commitments for our global development . We want to ensure that those dollars are well spent. We want to know that Canadians are proud of the work we are doing, and we will continue to do that.

Rail Transportation

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the coroner's office released a report on the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. It recommends that no train carrying dangerous goods be left on a main line unsupervised. How is that even still possible, especially after the events at Lac-Mégantic?

When will the minister change the regulations and implement these recommendations?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, with the release of the report we are reminded that 47 people lost their lives in this tragic incident. Of course, our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the victims, their families and those who supported them.

That being said, we have taken great strides, this year, to ensure that we have responded to every single recommendation of the Transportation Safety Board. We will take into consideration, as well, what is put out in the Quebec coroner's report, and together, we will ensure that safety in rail is primarily and predominantly at the top of our agenda and will continue to do so.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the news in the past few days reminds us that immediate action needs to be taken. Just yesterday, a CN freight train carrying dangerous goods derailed in Saskatchewan. Local residents had to evacuate to avoid breathing in the fumes. The TSB has already come down hard on the government for its lax attitude and lack of oversight.

What is the minister doing to ensure that the rail companies are obeying the law?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the premise that we have not done anything, let me just remind the House that we have invested $60 million to support response and recovery efforts and $95 million for decontamination remediation in Lac-Mégantic. We have removed the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tank cars from service. We require these tank cars be phased out within three years, well before the United States made the same moves. We require ERAPs for everything. We made sure that we brought a task force together with municipalities and first responders. Railway companies are required to reduce the speed of trains. I have a list that continues on.

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, “avoidable” was how the Lac-Mégantic coroner described the 47 deaths. Still, the minister has failed to implement recommendations from the Transportation Safety Board to fix lax oversight of rail safety in her department.

Yesterday's fiery derailment in Saskatchewan, once again, raised concerns about the risks posed by hazardous rail shipments. Still, in the House, the minister says accidents like this happen.

What more will it take for the minister to simply and finally implement the TSB's recommendations?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we have worked diligently on this matter with the municipalities, with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, with railway companies, with teamsters, with everybody involved in ensuring rail safety moves forward.

I can say one thing, though. It is erroneous to assume that this accident was not caused by one person who did not set enough handbrakes. Indeed, that individual and a number of others have been charged criminally in a court of law, as a result of negligence, which will go through its process.

The reality is that we have worked very closely on the matter. We have implemented many different actions to ensure that rail—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park.

Transport

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is government negligence that people are most concerned about.

Conservatives have also been failing Canadians when it comes to vehicle safety. The number of confirmed deaths due to faulty GM ignition switches has climbed to 24 but there are many more alleged to be linked to the defect. In spite of this, the Conservatives refuse to bring GM and departmental officials to committee to answer questions.

Canadians deserve answers. Can the minister at least tell us, so far, how much has GM been fined here in Canada?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, under the law in Canada there is an obligation on GM to ensure that it informs Transport Canada of any defects. It did so in February of this year. We have not seen any evidence, after requesting more information, of its having any information regarding this defect in Canada prior to that time. As such, there have not been any charges issued under the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.