Debates of Oct. 8th, 2014

Criminal Code

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Rail Transportation

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, on October 1, I asked a question in the House about the concerns of New Brunswick municipalities. For those watching today, I want to come back to that question.

All of New Brunswick is up in arms because of VIA Rail's latest plan to transfer the responsibility for stations on the Montreal-Halifax line to municipalities, as if small municipalities were in a better financial position to look after train stations than VIA Rail and the federal government.

Will the minister make VIA Rail listen to reason and tell it that there is no way that the company can off-load its problems onto New Brunswick municipalities and that it must accept its responsibilities?

The Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick adopted a resolution at a meeting. To put the situation of these municipalities into context, I will quote the resolution:

WHEREAS the federal government and VIA Rail, which is a crown corporation, have a responsibility to develop and maintain rail infrastructure across the country. More specifically, VIA Rail must ensure that it provides quality service to Canadians in every region of the country. WHEREAS the federal government, through VIA Rail, is attempting to transfer to municipal governments its responsibility to provide quality rail service to Canadians in every region of the country without also transferring the financial resources associated with that responsibility, thereby creating an unfair system since the status quo remains for central Canada.

Be it resolved: THAT the AFMNB send a letter to the Minister of Transport...thanking her for her commitment and efforts, which led to the investment of $10.2 million by VIA Rail to repair the section of railway between Miramichi and Bathurst. THAT the AFMNB show openness by supporting the redefinition of passenger service in light of more regional needs by helping VIA Rail to promote the survey to the best of the association's and its members' abilities, while sharing with VIA Rail the importance of ensuring that the Ocean train between Halifax and Montreal runs just as frequently as before. THAT the AFMNB share with the Minister [of Transport] serious concerns about VIA Rail's approach, which seeks to reduce operating costs by offloading them onto municipal governments. This approach will create a two-tier railway system where stations in Canada's big cities will remain the responsibility of VIA Rail, while smaller municipalities, mostly in rural areas, will be asked to assume the costs of managing stations and to promote the public carrier's services free of charge.

What is the minister going to do? This is a crown corporation, and municipalities do not have the money to take over federal responsibilities. They do not even have enough money to take care of their own responsibilities.

I would like to hear what the parliamentary secretary has to say about that.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak about VIA Rail and the government.

Intercity passenger rail service is obviously an important part of our transportation system that benefits our economy and our society, as it connects Canadians literally from coast to coast. Recognizing this, our government provides VIA Rail Canada with an annual subsidy that in recent years has been supplemented by additional operating funding.

To allow VIA to deliver passenger rail services to Canadians, our government in 2013-14 provided VIA with $305 million, a significant amount of funding, in order to operate and maintain its network.

In addition, our government is making unprecedented capital investments in VIA to allow it to make important improvements in order to modernize its operations. Our government has made available over $1 billion in capital funding over the past seven years to upgrade and modernize portions of VIA's rail network as well as many of its railcars. It has also invested in information systems to introduce e-ticketing; intermodal ticketing with airlines, commuter rail, and bus companies; on-board Wi-Fi; and upgrades to its website in order to better serve customers.

Our government also provides support for other passenger rail services. We provide funding to two passenger railways owned and operated by first nations, one in northern Quebec and one in northern Manitoba. This funding allows those private companies to provide service to remote communities that have few alternative means of transportation.

All told, this is a substantial amount of funding. That said, these services also have to be provided in a way that supports the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, as we have said on previous occasions.

Maybe the member does not find that satisfying, but VIA Rail is in fact a crown corporation that operates at arm's length from the government. This means that the government does not in fact operate the railway. It does not get involved in day-to-day operations.

VIA Rail, then, is ultimately responsible for making business decisions on its operations, including how best to manage its costs to reduce its reliance on federal taxpayers while meeting its objective to operate a national rail system that is both safe and efficient. That is why VIA Rail has to continuously assess its markets and operations in order to decide how best to provide the most economically efficient service to passengers.

As the same time, our government has invested and will continue to invest in passenger rail in a fiscally responsible manner.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the parliamentary secretary. He says that VIA Rail is a crown corporation, but at the same time it is a crown corporation that has a responsibility—as does the government, since it is holding the purse strings—to ensure that the train can travel from coast to coast, from Halifax to Vancouver. VIA Rail needs to know that the government is not there to oversee its daily operations and that it will stay out of VIA Rail's business, but that there needs to be a train from Halifax to Vancouver.

VIA Rail should not be passing its costs on to the cities of Bathurst, Miramichi and Campbellton. It is unbelievable and unacceptable. Our cities back home and many cities across Canada do not have enough money to pave their roads and streets, and now VIA Rail wants to pass its debt on to the cities. It is all well and good to say that it wants to put its fiscal house in order, but it is the cities and towns that are going to pay.

I am asking the minister once again to meet with the municipalities, open her ears and listen—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, please. The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said previously in the House, it is important in this moment that we understand a few things.

First of all, there have been no recent changes to the frequency of service that the Ocean line provides between Halifax and Montreal. I think that has to be clear. Second, as I have said before, the minister has met in the past with l'Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Union of Quebec Municipalities to discuss VIA Rail in this important region. The minister is happy to discuss the Ocean rail line further with this association.

National Defence

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that this is a time of great instability in the world. ISIL's murderous reign of terror in an already chaotic Middle East is only one of the many current global crises. Tumultuous periods such as this are why an essential responsibility of the Canadian government is to ensure that this country has the military capacity to defend its borders, as well as respond to major international crises.

This was well expressed in a 2003 report by the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, which stated:

The Canadian Forces are a vital instrument of national defence and sovereignty and a key implement for the achievement of Canadian national goals at home and abroad. A strong and modern military, designed specifically to meet Canada’s security and foreign policy needs, will serve Canada’s pride and Canada’s interests. It is, therefore, incumbent on Canadian governments to ensure that Canada’s military forces are well-funded, equipped to the highest standards, and recruited and trained to fight alongside the best, against the best.

The Conservative government has failed in its duty to do this, and failed in its duty to properly equip Canada's military.

Regarding Iraq, as I mentioned in my question, which we are debating tonight, the Liberals proposed a range of non-combat military and humanitarian contributions that Canada could make. We opposed the government's plan to enter a combat air strike mission in Iraq, as the mission and its goals were unclear. The Prime Minister had failed to make the case for taking CF-18s to Iraq and taking Canada into war.

While I have every confidence that our competent and experienced Canadian Armed Forces members will ensure the safety and effectiveness of the equipment used in this mission, the reality is that Canada's CF-18s are coming to the end of their life expectancy. Currently, we have 77 operational CF-18s, all of which date from the 1980s. There were two rounds of upgrade programs between 2001 and 2010, yet another extension is now being planned as the government has neglected to secure replacements for this fleet.

The urgent need to replace Canada's CF-18s was signalled even before Canada's military operation in Libya. In 2008, six years ago, Major Ed Roberds published an article in the Canadian Military Journal, entitled “Stretching the Thin Blue Line: Over-Tasking the CF-18 Hornet”. In the article, he noted:

The upgrading of our CF-18s will allow them to operate with other air forces in joint operations. Unfortunately, this upgrade does not fully address the airframe fatigue that is occurring on an aircraft initially intended for retirement in 2002.... ...As the airframe gets older, more repairs are required, and our operational tempo requires a substantial increase in spare parts that must be transported to theatre when the aircraft are deployed. While we are spending a lot of money on a single layer of air defence, we may not have enough fighter resources to achieve the overall defence objectives that the current policy...have established.

Auditor General Ferguson's 2012 report exposed the Prime Minister for having hidden the real cost estimates for the F-35 fighter jets to replace the CF-18s. This is now on hold. We have no idea what the government is planning, and Canada's aerospace industry is paying the price. Moreover, the government cut another $3.1 billion from military procurement in the last federal budget. Its cuts have resulted in a 20% reduction in funds available for spare parts and the maintenance of Canadian Forces equipment.

Sadly, Canada's military capacity is vulnerable. As proud of our troops as we are, the Conservative government's mismanagement of military investment and procurement is creating deep concerns.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me begin first by correcting the record. In fact, defence budgets are up consistently year over year under this particular government, and second, I take note of the member's underlying tone and lack of confidence in our forces to carry out the job.

As endorsed by the House of Commons yesterday, the government is taking strong action to respond to the grave security and humanitarian crisis created by ISIL. There can be no doubt about the threat posed by this group of extremists or the scale of the humanitarian crisis it has caused. It has violently seized territory in Iraq and beyond, persecuted ethnic and religious minorities, and driven more than a million Iraqi civilians from their homes. This has only exacerbated an already severe humanitarian and refugee emergency in that region.

Among the despicable acts ISIL has perpetrated are horrific acts of sexual violence against women and girls, including sexual slavery and using rape as a weapon of war. This government joins all Canadians in feeling the utmost sympathy for the people in Iraq, which is precisely why we have taken action to help those people in need.

We have proposed a multi-pronged approach, which includes humanitarian assistance and advisory support for the people of Iraq, but humanitarian assistance alone cannot get to the people who need it while armed groups continue to threaten the population. Sexual violence and other abuses cannot be investigated effectively in the absence of security in the region. If permitted to remain in Iraq unchecked, we believe that the threat posed by ISIL will only grow worse over time and will further destabilize the region and worsen the humanitarian crisis.

As much as ISIL poses a serious threat to Iraq and the wider region, it also poses a direct threat to Canada. Very recently, ISIL called for the targeting of Canadians in their own homes. There can be no greater responsibility of a government than the safety and security of its own citizens.

That is why the government has decided, now supported by a vote in the House and by government members, to meet the threat of ISIL at its source. This began in August when the Canadian Armed Forces commenced airlifting military supplies from donor countries to Iraqi forces. Over 1.5 million pounds, in fact, of military supplies donated by Albania and the Czech Republic were successfully delivered by us in northern Iraq.

In addition, special operations forces members have been deployed to assist and advise Iraqi forces in effectively countering ISIL. Last week we announced additional military contributions to the coalition efforts in Iraq for up to six months. CF-18 fighter jets will join our allies and partners in conducting air strikes against ISIL targets. As well, we will contribute the Polaris aerial refueller and up to two CP-140 Aurora aerial surveillance aircraft.

Canada will not stand idly by in the face of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by ISIL.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am dismayed to hear the member saying something that is patently not true. The budget has not gone up year over year since the Conservative government came in. In fact, by 2010, the freeze had started, and in 2011, the cuts began. This budget is slated to shrink by a total of $2.7 billion in 2015 compared with 2011.

The calculations show that this budget is the equivalent of the 2007 budget when inflation is taken into account. As a percentage of GDP, as the World Bank has noted, the government is spending 1% of GDP compared with the Liberals having spent 1.3% of GDP. One per cent is the lowest since the World Bank began recording this in the 1980s.

This has led to a lot of chaos because of the cuts and clawbacks under the current government. It is making our military and Armed Forces vulnerable to not being able to serve future requirements, and the government should at least be open and transparent—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we heard it ourselves, just now, from the member that she believes our Canadian Forces are not going to be able to carry out their mission. That shows a complete lack of confidence in our brave men and women and the material that they use to do that.

I find that very disappointing, however not out of character for the Liberals who presided over a decade of darkness when it came to the military. Those are not my words. It was a former military commander in Canada who said those words about the Liberals. We will not let that happen.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7 p.m.)