Debates of Nov. 17th, 2014

Citizenship and Immigration

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, once again the NDP is refusing to consider the facts. There are already 1,782 Syrian refugees in Canada. I am proud to tell the House today that Canada has surpassed its commitment to welcome 20,000 Iraqi refugees. They are already in Canada. That is more than any other country. Our partners in this refugee assistance mission see Canada as an example. On a global scale, we are resettling one in 10 refugees. That is a record that all Canadians are proud of.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us take a look at the real figures.

Canada promised to accept 1,300 Syrians. That is really not enough in light of the millions of people in need. However, we are now learning that the minister knew last June that he would not even be able to honour this paltry commitment.

We asked dozens of questions about this, and the minister claimed that he would reach his target even though he knew it was not true.

Why did the minister mislead the House and why is he going back on his promise to the Syrian people?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, our commitment to the Syrian people is very clear: 1,782 refugees are already here. Canada was one of the first donor countries to provide humanitarian aid in response to this very wide-ranging crisis.

However, after asking dozens of questions about Syria, has any NDP member had the courage to mention Iraq? Canada has resettled 20,000 Iraqi refugees. No country has done more. We should be proud of this, and the NDP should be ashamed that it has not even mentioned it.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, uncovered government documents have revealed that the Conservatives have been secretly shifting over $500 million allocated for the already underfunded infrastructure needs like water and housing to the chronically underfunded social programs, while still refusing to close the gaps in areas like education on first nations.

Will the minister stop hiding the underfunding and mismanagement with dishonest shell games and finally work in good faith with aboriginal communities to properly fund these programs?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows, or should know, that we have made unprecedented investment in first nations infrastructure above and beyond the core infrastructure funding, from investment in over 130 major projects, to funded maintenance of over 1,200 water and waste water treatment projects, to more than 263 school infrastructure projects, including 33 new schools.

We continue to work in partnership with first nations toward our shared goal of stronger and self-sufficient aboriginal communities.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, these documents also show that the minister's own department is telling him that more money is needed to provide first nations children with education that is equivalent to other kids in Canada. It is unconscionable that he is playing politics with the future of first nations children by holding essential education funding hostage to the government's flawed first nations education bill.

Will the minister commit to delivering this badly needed education funding immediately?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, what is unconscionable is that member and her party and the opposition voting against a $1.9 billion increase in funding for education last year.

Above the rhetoric of the opposition, in budget 2012 this government provided $175 million over three years to build and renovate schools on reserves. In addition to budget 2012 investments, our government continues to make major investments, in the order of $200 million annually, to support school infrastructure in first nations communities.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Rinelle Harper is a survivor. She is a 16-year old first nations girl who was sexually assaulted, beaten, and thrown into the Assiniboine River. She pulled herself out of the river where she was again beaten and left for dead. Grand Chief David Harper stated, “...today, moving forward as family and as a community we ask that this is a time [that the] wind has to change. ...it is [in] each and every one of us, [it is] our responsibility [to be able] to make that change. We have to put an end to violence...”.

My question is for the Prime Minister. When is the government going to call for a public inquiry on the murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, this is an appalling and horrific crime. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rinellle Harper, who has shown tremendous courage and determination, and with her family. We understand that police have arrested two suspects in this case, thanks to her family members' brave decision to go public with her story and the close work they did with the police.

Canadians can count on our government to take violent crime seriously, including crimes against women and children. Since we came to office, we have toughened sentences for murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping, and imposed mandatory prison sentences for the most serious crimes.

The opposition consistently votes against them.

Justice

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the appointment process for Federal Court of Appeal justices is flawed and much too partisan.

Five seats are vacant and some court cases have been delayed by more than nine months. These delays are a miscarriage of justice. The law is clear nevertheless: 12 full-time justices must be on the bench.

Will the Conservatives stop dragging their feet and waiting to find Conservative lawyers to fill the vacant seats on the Federal Court of Appeal?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, of course that is factually incorrect. We make these appointments based on wide, inclusive consultations with all provinces and with all individuals involved in the judicial process. The overriding and most important criteria are those of merit and legal excellence.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, rather than delaying and politicizing the process for appointing federal judges, the Conservatives should be ensuring that Canadians and particularly women who are victims of sexual assault are able to trust the justice system.

Two-thirds of sexual assault victims who completed a Department of Justice survey reported that they did not trust the justice system. Two-thirds of respondents. That is what prevented many of them from reporting the assault to the police.

How does the government intend to restore people's trust in our justice system?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the short answer is that we intend to do so through the Canadian victims bill of rights.

We are very much in line with the member opposite when it comes to addressing these very important issues of confidence within the justice system, particularly as they pertain to victims of sexual assault. Sexual violence remains a very serious concern for all Canadians, which is why we have brought forward legislation that would increase penalties and bring mandatory minimum penalties to bear. Most important, the Canadian victims bill of rights would place victims at the very epicentre of our justice system, restoring a greater sense of confidence in the system overall.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, just over a week ago, Rinelle Harper, a young indigenous woman from northern Manitoba, was brutally attacked and left to die by the river in Winnipeg. Because of her incredible strength and the support of her family and her friends, she is getting better. However, until Canadians as a whole address violence against indigenous women, the violence will not stop.

The question is this. When will the current government take leadership to put an end to violence against women, come up with an action plan, and support the families, so that what Rinelle went through and what thousands of indigenous women go through will never happen again?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, again, this was a horrific crime, and I commend the Harper family for their courage and determination throughout this ordeal.

We understand that the police have arrested two suspects in this case, thanks to the family's brave decision to go public with its story and to work closely with the police.

There are have been more than 40 studies into the plight of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Now is not the time for more studies. Now is the time for action. The member mentioned that there was no action plan. There is an action plan, and we are supporting women and girls and aboriginal women and girls across Canada.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the so-called action plan is not working.

Aboriginal women and girls are still being abused and going missing. Rinelle Harper's ordeal has been added to the long list of horror stories. Nearly 1,200 aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or been murdered.

Aboriginal communities are calling for a national inquiry so that the government will finally take a serious look at violence against women. No more excuses.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to conduct such an inquiry?

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know why the members think that everyone wants a national action plan. I sat on that committee, and not everybody wants a national action plan or a national inquiry.

However, here is a quote that I would like to share from Bernadette Smith, the sister of Claudette Osborne, who has been missing since July 2008. She said that the action plan is something that her family has been waiting for, and stated, “I would like to thank [...and] the Government for their commitment to addressing this issue. [...] We've had numerous studies on this issue and the time for action is now. We can't stand idly by and talk about this without taking significant action”.

Action is what they want. This action plan will have a direct impact on families, and it will help keep our women and girls safe.

Foreign Affairs

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government remains deeply concerned with the ongoing violence in eastern Ukraine and reports of additional Russian troops and weapons crossing into Ukraine.

Last Wednesday, NATO confirmed that additional Russian tanks and artillery made its way into Ukraine. This is another troubling example of Russia's belligerence and violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territory.

I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to please update the House on this very serious matter.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for his leadership in this regard.

Canada and our Prime Minister have taken a strong stand in support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in this crisis. When the Russian president tried to adopt a friendly go along to get along approach at the G20 summit in Brisbane, our Prime Minister would have none of it. “You need to get out of Ukraine” was the message he delivered. All Canadians can be tremendously proud of that leadership.

Health

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' inappropriate secrecy extends even to the Ebola crisis. They are refusing to reveal the details of their agreement with NewLink Genetics even though the agreement is available online. Thousands of people have fallen victim to the Ebola virus, but the Conservatives are more concerned about commercial gain than they are about the public good.

Why does the government not make the vaccine available for humanitarian reasons, as permitted under the act?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, all of us in Parliament and across Canada can be very proud that it was Canadian researchers and scientists at the Public Health Agency that developed this groundbreaking Ebola vaccine. In fact, we did donate our stockpile from the Public Health Agency, close to 1,000 vials, for humanitarian purposes. We gave it to the WHO. How that is used is up to the WHO.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of our researchers, but we are not proud of the government for giving away the store.

The government has refused to even release details of its licensing agreement with NewLink Genetics, even though Canadians can get access to the information on a U.S. government website. It is very bizarre.

It appears the government is trying to hide the fact that the agreement seeks to “maximize commercial return” from the vaccine instead of maximize public health.

Why will the government not do the responsible thing, take back the rights to the vaccine and focus on saving lives?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, that is in no way the advice that has been given to us by the Chief Public Health Officer or anyone in the public health community.

Canadians should be very proud that not only was it Canadians who developed this vaccine, but that we gave our stockpile to the World Health Organization.

Of course, as the member knows, there are now phase 1 clinical trials happening all over the world for this Ebola vaccine. We hope we are able to move it to phase 2 clinical trials and that the vaccine will be in the hands of health care workers soon.

Ethics

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the administrative functions of government is ensuring adequate oversight by the Canada Revenue Agency of the generous tax incentives given to civically-minded Canadians who want to contribute to political parties. We now learn that the former member for Peterborough used this incentive to get people to pick up his legal bills.

Does the minister of the Canada Revenue Agency think this is okay? Will she look at the issue to determine whether the tax code was misused to give a Conservative insider and felon an enormous legal advantage?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, all political contributions are submitted to Elections Canada. The member can look at electionscanada.ca to review the expenses and donations to all political parties.