Debates of Nov. 27th, 2014

Health

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt about the minister's good intentions, but precisely because one child out of three is overweight here in Canada, instead of just talking about programs that do not work, let us look at something that has proven to be effective. When junk food advertising to children is banned, childhood obesity is reduced, and the pressure on parents to take them to these junk food emporiums is reduced.

Why do the Conservatives not get on board and ban advertising to children about things like junk food?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, there are many things that we have to do to tackle this issue. The most important thing we can do is to get kids, even if they are eating healthy, off the couch, away from video games, out onto the streets, and into the parks and actually exercising.

We have now doubled the child fitness tax credit because we want to make organized sports and informal play affordable for kids. We will continue to focus on this.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister acknowledged that despite a court settlement in the 1960s, the victims of thalidomide need more support. For anyone affected by that drug, every day is a struggle, even 50 years later.

Will the government support our motion to provide continued, ongoing support to the victims of thalidomide in Canada?

Will the government support our motion to provide ongoing compensation to thalidomide victims in Canada?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the government will support the motion. The government looks forward to sitting down with these victims and working with them on their care needs.

This was an incredibly tragic event, and all of us share in that sorrow. It reminds us, day in, day out, of how important it is to ensure that we have the safest drug system in the world, and Canada does have it. We are proud of that. We have to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

I look forward to my meeting with the victims next week.

Status of Women

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, according to a new study, over one-third of Canadian women have been victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence often affects the most vulnerable people in our society, including Canadians with disabilities, first nation people, and members of the LGBTT community.

Does the Minister of Status of Women plan to convene representatives of victims' groups in order to find concrete solutions to end this epidemic of domestic violence?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace, including mental health issues, is vital to the health, well-being and economic success of all Canadians.

This is something that we do regularly at Status of Women Canada, whether it be women who are handicapped, women of aboriginal background, or women who are entrepreneurs. We are focused on making sure that the workplace is safe.

Making sure that we eliminate violence against women and girls is a top priority for this government.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is correct. The Canadian Labour Congress study found that domestic violence not only impacted Canadians' home lives but, of course, their work lives as well. Seventy-five percent of victims said that domestic violence impacted them at work, and domestic violence costs employers $80 million a year.

The only question we have for the minister as a result of her intervention is this. Will she sit down with the unions and employers to address the impact that domestic violence is having in the workplace?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I will say to the Leader of the Opposition that I actually had the great opportunity to speak to the president of the CLC just this morning, as well as to the chairman of FETCO, Steve Bedard. Both have agreed to meet with me next week to speak about this specific issue, so that we are making sure that mental health in the workplace is resolved.

Veterans

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General tabled a scathing report about this government's disregard for our veterans and now the minister is not available to answer questions.

The minister has a well-earned reputation for fleeing the scene to avoid tough questions.

Where are his priorities? Why are the Conservatives hiding instead of being accountable for their disregard for our veterans?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for recognizing that Veterans Affairs does indeed have a robust mental health strategy, which we have put in place, and mental health supports. We provide rehabilitation to our veterans in a timely manner, and we are working to improve the consultation process with veterans.

Also, the Auditor General has identified that there are some unnecessary delays in the processing. We are working to address those issues. We thank the Auditor General for his recommendations.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I must remind the hon. member for Westmount—Ville-Marie that it is unparliamentary to point out the presence or absence of colleagues. I know that he will keep that in mind going forward.

The hon. member for Guelph.

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the Auditor General reported the government's failure to provide the mental health services that our veterans needed, the minister was out of the country. We hoped to get answers from the department. The veterans affairs committee has cancelled its meeting on the estimates.

We all remember the minister running away from Jenny Migneault, the wife of a veteran with PTSD. Now when veterans have questions about access to mental health services, meetings are put off and cancelled. Why, instead of answering questions and being accountable to veterans, do the Conservatives always cut and run?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. colleague on the other side that the minister works hard and consults with veterans across the country all the time. As a matter of fact, he is currently travelling overseas with veterans.

It is a top priority for our government. We are working to address some of the recommendations that were brought forward by the Auditor General to address the concerns when it comes to the unnecessary delays. On this side of the House, we will continue to work in the best interests of Canada's veterans.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I raised the case of Greg Matters, the 16-year armed forces veteran suffering from PTSD, who was tragically killed in 2012. Greg fought for years for treatment and support, and all he got was a measly $125 a month. He pleaded for psychiatric help in vain. His death could have been avoided.

Yesterday, the parliamentary secretary did not answer my question on this, so I am giving him another opportunity. When will the government finally respect our veterans, fix these problems, and prevent these deaths from happening?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, no government has brought more respect and more resources to help our veterans, the members of the armed forces, than this government. We have increased the annual health care budget by over $10 million. We work with individuals who are suffering with PTSD. This has been a priority for the armed forces. We encourage everyone who has any difficulties in this area to reach out, and they will get the help that they need.

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the level of distress among our veterans has become quite alarming. Despite the Conservatives' promises, absolutely nothing is changing.

In 2009, the government promised to review its mental health strategy to determine whether it truly met veterans' needs. The Auditor General confirmed this week that the government never followed through on that promise.

Why is the minister trying to save money on the backs of veterans? Why does he not make sure that their mental health needs are being met?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday our government announced additional mental health support for Canada's men and women in the armed forces, for veterans, and for their families. We are investing in a major new operational stress injury clinic in Halifax and eight other satellite locations across this country.

Our government is committed to our veterans, to our armed forces, and to their families, and we will continue to work on their behalf.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me ask again. In 2009, the Conservatives committed to developing performance measures to assess if the government's mental health strategy was meeting the mental health needs of veterans. The Auditor General showed that the Conservatives never followed up on that commitment. No data was ever collected.

Mental health care is critical for our veterans. Why did the government abandon this commitment?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it was in fact the Minister of Veterans Affairs and our government who recommended the Auditor General review our mental health program so that we could improve it to provide the very best for our Canadian veterans and their families.

The Auditor General clearly said that Veterans Affairs had put in place important mental health supports. Access to mental health support under the rehabilitation program is timely.

At the same time, the Auditor General has made some recommendations in terms of unnecessary delays, and we are working to address those issues.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when our veterans were asked to serve, they did not hesitate. Why will this minister not honour that service?

Nearly one in six full-time members of the Canadian Forces experienced symptoms of mental health or alcohol-related disorders in the last year. Many of those members will soon be leaving the Canadian Forces and looking for assistance from Veterans Affairs.

Does the minister have a plan in place for these veterans so that they are not left waiting?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. Our government has a strong record when it comes to providing support, benefits, and services for Canada's veterans.

It is precisely the reason why we have invested billions of dollars in new additional dollars, even though the opposition has continually voted against virtually every single initiative we have brought forward.

We will continue to stand up for Canada's veterans and their families.

Rail Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Transportation Safety Board finds that the Conservatives are not doing enough to monitor railway companies.

It seems like the Lac-Mégantic tragedy does not register with the Conservatives. The president of the TSB has called for stronger rail tanker cars and is concerned about the lack of deadline.

When will the government listen to the TSB and protect the public?

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

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of Canadians is a top priority at Transport Canada.

Each of the recommendations laid out by the Transportation Safety Board with respect to the watch list is being reviewed currently.

That said, Transport Canada has been taking strong action. The worst-offending DOT-111s are out of service already in terms of transporting crude. There is an aggressive phase-out of the remaining DOT-111s that is in process and ahead of a proposed U.S. phase-out.

We are taking strong action at Transport Canada and will continue to do so.

[Mike Sullivan, NDP, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives boast, the TSB says the government simply is not getting the job done on rail safety.

Yesterday the president of the Transportation Safety Board, Kathy Fox, said, “...actions taken to date are insufficient”. She said, “...a weak company safety culture and inadequate Transport Canada oversight contributed to the Lac-Mégantic accident.” She said that Transport Canada still has problems with oversight and inspections.

In light of all this, why is the government still cutting funds for transport safety?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member has it all wrong. Front-line safety continues to get a boost in terms of the operational spending of our rail safety directorate. This government continues to take strong action.

What the watch list did show is that 74 out of 77 watch list items are either fully satisfactory or in progress, and no wonder when we look at what we have. There are new compliance tools coming into force on railway operating certificates and new administrative monetary penalties, all to make railways more compliant in what they do.

With regard to the DOT-111s I spoke of, there are regulations already on new and enhanced standards, and there are new tanker safety—