Debates of Oct. 8th, 2014

Manufacturing Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, we have to love that voluntary compliance.

October is National Manufacturing Month. We would not know it from the minister's press release but Canada has lost 415,000 good manufacturing jobs under the Conservative government. The Conservatives still have no plan to boost investment and innovation and they have cut support for R and D.

Manufacturing creates high-wage, high-quality jobs. When will the Conservatives start defending the interests of the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who work in the manufacturing sector?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, it is a simple fact that Canada's manufacturing sales have bounced back and are actually up 25%.

As well, our government's initiatives include, for example, the automotive innovation fund. There was an announcement just last week, for example, at Ford in Oakville. It is creating 1,000 jobs on top of the 1,200 jobs that are currently in Oakville.

Add to that the fact that I was in Halifax this weekend at the Irving shipyard where there is the largest shipbuilding facility in all of North America, creating ships for Canada, for Canadians, for the future. It is a $33 billion investment in Canada's manufacturing sector. We are delivering from coast to coast.

Rail Transportation

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, people in Saskatchewan are cleaning up the mess from yesterday's train derailment. There were no injuries, thankfully, but it was dangerous. Twenty-six cars crashed. Dangerous goods spilled. There was a fire and pollution, and 50 people were evacuated. The province, municipalities and private individuals incurred costs.

I have three questions. Will all those costs be fully and quickly reimbursed? Were local first responders informed of the contents of that train before they had to deal with the emergency? Were these the old DOT-111 cars?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the first question from the hon. member, CN is responsible for the cleanup and any costs associated with it, so that is a question he should take up with CN. However, we fully expect a polluter-pay principle in this country. In fact, it was this government, in the Speech from the Throne, that indicated even more clearly that we fully expect and anticipate that this will be the regime going forward.

With respect to first responders, I am informed by officials on the ground that, yes indeed, there was collaboration between first responders and the appropriate officials in order to determine what was happening at the time.

With respect to the matter of the cars that were in use, the member should ask CN that question.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we do not yet know the cause of the Saskatchewan train wreck, but apparently operator error is being ruled out. Nevertheless, there is clearly an ongoing argument between Transport Canada and the railway companies about the issue of operator fatigue. Some reports suggest that as many as three-quarters of freight operators may actually have fallen asleep at the controls.

The issue is acknowledged. It has been under investigation since 2009. Air crews and truck drivers are regulated against fatigue. Will the government implement the necessary safety regulations for train crews before Christmas?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would just caution the hon. member on talking about the causation before the Transportation Safety Board has weighed in on the cause of the accident. We do wait for it to do its work.

With respect to fatigue management plans, Transport Canada does indeed have the requirement that railway companies submit fatigue management plans. As well we do have rules for railway operating employees developed under the Railway Safety Act. We do have rules in place. We expect the companies to respect them. We want to have their plans and we will ensure that we enforce appropriately.

Health

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while we all understand that the nature of contagion of Ebola is low outside of endemic areas, Canadians are understandably anxious about reported cases outside West Africa, such as in Texas and Spain.

Can the Minister of Health tell us exactly what is Canada's level of preparedness for containment of possible cases of Ebola, including access to vaccines and treatment here in Canada?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's preparedness is high. The Chief Public Health Officer is almost daily on calls with his provincial counterparts. I have spoken to all of my health counterparts as well on this issue. We have a very good public health system in Canada, whether it be for prevention, awareness, or treatment.

I have had the opportunity to speak with Canada's Chief Public Health Officer this morning on the matter of managing risks to the border. Of course, Canadians should know that international border crossings in Canada are monitoring 24-7, and travellers from the affected West African countries are identified, and they are asked about their health. Our government will be taking the additional step of doing targeted temperature screenings. We will do whatever is necessary to protect Canadians.

The Environment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment's definition yesterday of “leadership” includes not implementing promises, not meeting targets, and not answering questions.

The environment commissioner says that there is no climate change plan. The Conservatives are not going to meet their Copenhagen targets, and their sector-by-sector approach is not working.

The Conservatives have had eight years. When are we going to see emissions regulations in the oil and gas sector?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, this is a continental issue, and we need a North American-wide solution.

Our government will continue to work with the United States on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the oil and gas sector. We feel it is best to align with the United States as we have done in the transportation sector, as an example.

We will continue to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a way that maintains job creation and economic growth.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, according to the environment commissioner, the new environmental assessment process is full of holes.

As a result of the Conservatives' legislative tricks, 80% of oil sands extraction projects now do not have to undergo environmental assessments.

Why are the Conservatives more concerned about the interests of oil companies than the interests of Canadians?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a quote that has come in from the president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, who told our department that he was very disappointed with the commissioner's report, because it omitted major information. The president said that the renewable fuel regulations introduced by this Conservative government have removed the equivalent of a million cars and trucks from our roads and that they did so while promoting $3.5 billion in economic growth.

This quote came from Scott Thurlow, the president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, who is quite disappointed with the commissioner for omitting that big detail in her report.

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

Mr. Speaker, the commissioner's opinion is no small matter.

Next Saturday, a public demonstration will be held in Cacouna. Hundreds of people who are concerned about the future of the St. Lawrence will participate in it. Would people be protesting if environmental assessments were credible and were not rigged in advance in favour of the oil companies?

As a result of the consistent incompetence of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the oil port in Cacouna is a complete fiasco.

Will the minister finally listen to Canadians and ask real experts to provide real scientific opinions on this issue? This has been an absolute farce for months.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have said that projects will only move forward if they are safe for Canadians and safe for the environment.

TransCanada has not even submitted the construction of a marine terminal at Cacouna for review, so how can we turn down something that has not been applied for?

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as early as May 2014, three independent scientists asked that all activity planned in the Cacouna area be cancelled because of the serious risk to the beluga whale population.

Hundreds of residents, the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park coordinating committee, the Société pour les mammifères marins and many municipalities also shared their serious concerns, but the minister did not budge.

Does the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans think it is right that residents of the Lower St. Lawrence are being forced to go to court in order for their opinions about the oil port in Cacouna to be heard?

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

Mr. Speaker, at this stage, the only work that is being conducted at Cacouna is exploratory work, and this work has been carefully reviewed by scientists and authorized by scientists, contingent on the very strictest conditions. DFO has scientists specifically devoted to marine mammals, including St. Lawrence belugas, and as I said, projects will only move forward if they are safe for Canadians and safe for the environment.

The Economy

[Rodney Weston, Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on what matters most to Canadians: jobs and economic growth. Over 1.1 million net new jobs have been added since the recession, one of the strongest job creation records in the G7. On top of that, our low-tax plan is making Canada a more attractive place to invest. In fact, Bloomberg has named Canada the second most attractive country in which to do business.

Could the Minister of State for Finance please update the House with the latest good news on the economy?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada is on track for a balanced budget. Last year's deficit was roughly $5.2 billion, much better than previously forecast. It is great news for Canadians. Yesterday the IMF projected Canada to be one of the strongest growing economies in the years ahead. Today the Fraser Institute ranked Canada among the most economically free countries in the world.

Canadians know they are better off with this Conservative government.

Science and Technology

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the group Evidence for Democracy revealed today the extent to which federal scientists are isolated. The organization gave 15 departments a failing grade when it comes to protecting federal scientists from political interference.

The Conservatives have used internal media directives to muzzle our scientists and ensure that their disturbing opinions remain hidden away.

When will the Conservatives stop their war on our scientists?

[Ed Holder, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology)]

Mr. Speaker, that is just not the case. My hon. colleague knows well that this government has made record investments in science, technology, and innovation. She also knows that Canada is ranked number one in the G7 for our support for scientific research and development in our colleges, universities, and research institutes. Ministers are the primary spokespersons for government departments, yet scientists have been and are readily available to share their research with Canadians.

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is just cherry-picking stats, and what he really has to do is back off and stop muzzling our scientists. Let us be clear. The government is so obsessed with controlling the message it spent $20 million monitoring the media at the same time it was muzzling scientists. Thanks to the independent assessment, by E4D, of the government's own policies, we can see the government's failure on transparency in black and white.

Government scientists in the U.S. are more free to talk publicly about their work and are better protected from political interference. Why should Canadian scientists not be as free to talk about their work as American scientists?

[Ed Holder, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology)]

Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk facts, let us talk a few things here. Canadian federal departments and agencies produce over 4,000 science publications every year. Fact. Environment Canada fielded nearly 2,500 media enquiries and published about 700 peer-reviewed articles this past year. Fisheries and Oceans Canada fielded 1,600 media enquiries and published 500 peer-reviewed articles last year. When it comes to science and technology, on this side of the House, we are interested in the facts.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, the replacement program for the navy's resupply vessels is so far behind that the Conservatives are now considering using private ships to resupply the navy while relying more on the United States. Despite promising replacements in 2006, the Conservatives cancelled the program two years later. We are now years behind. Is this the future for the Canadian navy: lend or lease?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the case. The NDP usually gets it wrong on anything to do with Canada's military. That being said, there is a vigorous program on both coasts: on the west coast and on the east coast. With respect to resupplying the Royal Canadian Navy, we will get the job done.

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

Mr. Speaker, the resupply ships fiasco continues.

First, the Liberals announced that they were going to buy new ships in 2004, but the project was aborted. The Conservatives did the same thing in 2006, but did not follow through. Now they are promising new ships by 2020, and until then, they are thinking of using a commercial vessel. Is that what is in store for the Royal Canadian Navy? Will it be using commercial vessels or borrowing ships from the U.S. Navy? Honestly.