Debates of Nov. 28th, 2014

Northern Development

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

Mr. Speaker, welcome to Conservative Canada where if a person is a vet, they wait 50 years, and if they are hungry, they go to the dump.

This week, when Canadians saw heartbreaking footage of people scavenging in dumps in Rankin Inlet, the Conservatives went on the offensive. The current minister claimed that this video was not true—we heard her. Her staff intimidated people in Rankin Inlet, demanding an apology to the Conservative Party of Canada. What staggering indifference.

I would like to ask the minister why she believes that people eating out dumps in her riding owe the Conservative Party an apology for her failure to represent them.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing found in dumps here this morning is the questions and the approach of the opposition.

This is a time where we could be talking about how the Nutrition North program is helping families in the north, just as we are hearing. The minister is in touch regularly with her communities. She represented the territory on the ground. She was raised there. She is not just reading attack lines in the House of Commons, but delivering for northern Canada. We are very proud of that.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General slammed the current government for failing to address the high cost of food in Canada's north.

There is evidence that to survive people have to scrounge for food in the dump; yet, the minister for the north continues to deny this. What is worse, elected officials say she has been bullying them to endorse her failed program and apologize to the Conservative Party. This is shameful. This is not the first time the minister for the north has failed the north.

Will she listen to the Attorney General and act now to ensure that the people of the north have access to nutritious and affordable food?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the government wants to ensure that northerners have the same access to healthy food that constituents like mine have. That is why we created the Nutrition North program, and it has seen good results. Since 2011, there has been a 25% increase in shipments to the north of healthy food products. An average family of four has seen a net reduction in their grocery bill of $110.

Since this minister has been part of the federal cabinet, northern Canada has never been better served. She is a champion for the north and for all of Canada.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report says that Nutrition North is a mess. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs agrees with the Auditor General.

The MLA for Gjoa Haven says that the program is not working. The deputy mayor of Rankin says that residents are scavenging in the local dump for food.

However, the minister in charge of this particular area says that it is all not true and demands an apology. What is not true, the AG's findings, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs's agreement with the AG's findings, the statement by the MLA for Gjoa Haven, the statement by the deputy mayor for Rankin—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, order. The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, nothing indicates better the experience that the minister brings than the fact she was previously the MLA for Gjoa Haven. In fact, she grew up in and is from Nunavut. She brings that passion and knowledge to the House. She is not just reading lines on a piece of paper.

The reality is that the Auditor General knows that more money is being spent. There are results. We are going to ensure that we take the Auditor General's feedback to ensure that there are more clauses in these funding agreements to ensure that recipients can provide all information on eligible items, including margins, to make sure that the net benefit is for the families of the north.

Canadian Tourism Commission

[Arnold Chan, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government's blind slashing of budgets is having a profound effect on Canada's tourism industry. Since coming to power, the government has chopped the budget of the Canadian Tourism Commission by almost half. Two years ago the commission pulled out of its biggest market, the U.S., due to these cuts.

Now even the minister is suggesting that this was mistake and is asking for help from the Prime Minister for greater funding. When will the government listen to its own minister and restore funding to the Canadian Tourism Commission?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, of course our government is delivering concrete actions for the Canadian tourism sector.

We have introduced more efficient electronic visa application processes. We have negotiated and expanded nearly 80 air transport agreements since 2006. We are expanding our visa application centres to 130 worldwide, and we are promoting Canada in key tourism markets around the world.

The Canadian Tourism Commission will continue to promote Canada as a welcoming four-season destination in the world's most promising tourism markets.

Port of Montreal

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Normand Morin's unofficial job at SNC-Lavalin was to give illegal donations to political parties. It is not just an accusation; he admits it.

Conservatives have known about it for 18 months. What did they do? Nothing. Morin remained in his Conservative patronage position at the Port of Montreal, getting $25,000 a year until CTV revealed the scam. Only now is he out. Why did it take so long?

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

Mr. Speaker, this individual is no longer a member of the board, and none of the issues regarding his alleged activities at SNC-Lavalin are related to the federal government.

Anyone found responsible for that wrongdoing should face the full force of the law.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Well, that was reassuring, Mr. Speaker.

A former vice-president at SNC-Lavalin admitted to the anti-corruption unit that he was at the heart of a system that secretly sent funding to the Quebec Liberal Party.

Thanks to its dummy system, SNC-Lavalin illegally funnelled hundreds of thousands of dollars to the party. Despite those revelations, Normand Morin remained on the board of the Port of Montreal for another 18 months.

Why did the Conservatives turn a blind eye to the illegal actions of the vice-president of SNC-Lavalin, who was a board member at the Port of Montreal, for all that time?

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

Mr. Speaker, this individual is no longer a member of the board.

None of the issues regarding his alleged activities at SNC-Lavalin are related to the federal government. Anyone found responsible of wrongdoing should face the full force of the law.

Steel Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadian steel companies and workers are being shut out of opportunities because of the government's failure to do anything about creeping buy-American policies.

Now a ferry dock project in Canada on federally owned land is closed to Canadian steel companies. Canadian workers and businesses are looking for more than concern from the government.

What is the minister actually doing to correct this situation?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister indicated in this House earlier this week, our government is deeply concerned by the appearance that the U.S. intends to apply buy American restrictions to the project at Prince Rupert.

This is just another example of how illogical and actually counterproductive to free trade these buy American programs are.

Our government has a track record of consistently opposing such measures and standing up and opening markets for Canadians. We will continue to work on that.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Buy American Act is being applied on Canadian soil. Canadian steel suppliers cannot even bid on a bridge being built in Prince Rupert, here in Canada.

Meanwhile, Canadian workers, such as those at Nova Bus in Saint-Eustache, are victims of the Americans' protectionist policies.

Why are the Conservatives unable to protect Canadian jobs?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the member of the trade committee well knows, our government has consistently stood in opposition to such protectionist measures.

What is interesting is that her colleague the member of Parliament for Burnaby—New Westminster has been promoting such measures, calling them perfectly logical, as members opposite are trying to actually oppose the one in five jobs being created in Canada attributable to trade.

There is no party in this House that stands up more for opening markets for Canada and protecting our own access than this government.

The Economy

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in September, the Canadian economy beat market expectations by creating more than 74,000 jobs. Last month, we should pass expectations again by adding another 43,000 jobs.

With 1.2 million new jobs created since the recession, the Canadian economy is envied around the world.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance please update this House on the latest news about Canada's economy?

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Canadian economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.8% in the third quarter of 2014, crushing market expectations.

However, as we have seen, global market forces affect Canada, and the global economy remains fragile. Now is not the time for risky Liberal Party tax and spend experiments.

We must stay the course with our low-tax plan that is growing our economy and will bring it back to balance in 2015.

Public Works and Government Services

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in October, 34 Health Canada compensation professionals in Shawinigan were let go. Their jobs were transferred to New Brunswick. That represents a loss of $1.5 million in direct spinoffs for Mauricie.

I recently met those workers, who still want to work for the federal public service in Mauricie.

Will the minister at least try to find positions for them in federal offices in Shawinigan?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, our government made a commitment to taxpayers that we would run this government in a much more responsible way when it came to how we spend their dollars, and we would improve service delivery for them.

Our consolidation of services includes streamlining, increasing accessibility, and making sure that, as we do that, we offer employees every opportunity to continue work with the federal government.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but think that the slogan “Our regions in power” has come to mean “We are abandoning your regions”.

Mauricie has seen hard times under the Conservatives' bad management. Wood processing has stalled, the manufacturing industry has slowed down, and Radio-Canada is feeling the pinch from the government's ideological cuts.

In addition, the closure of the Health Canada office in Shawinigan affected 34 jobs and means a loss of $1.5 million.

Can the minister commit to integrating those jobs into the federal public service in Shawinigan, in the region, where we need jobs?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, our government promised Canadians that it would respect the money they pay in taxes.

That is why we are modernizing service delivery systems and improving the services we provide to Canadians. This will make the services more efficient. All of the employees will receive or have received offers so that they can continue to work for the federal government.

Canada Post

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every day I am hearing complaints from my constituents in Stoney Creek who are troubled by the heavy-handed tactics of Canada Post when it is deciding where to locate the new super mailboxes. Canada Post representatives show up on their doorstep, not to consult or hear feedback but to tell them that their lot has been chosen for the box. If they have complaints, they are sent to a 1-800 number where they are told that it is a final decision.

The Conservatives have failed to protect mail delivery in this country. Now will they at least intervene and ensure a respectful consultation process, rather than what Canada Post is giving?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, Canada Post is an independent arm's-length crown corporation responsible for executing its five-point plan in order to turn around the finances of the company but also to ensure that there is daily mail for all Canadians. It is doing so in a way that tries to assess the needs of those in their communities who may have potential challenges.

Canada Post is engaged in several communications within the constituency. However, if there is a particular question, I will refer the member to Canada Post.