Debates of Nov. 28th, 2014

Canada Post

[José Nunez-Melo, NDP, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, people in my riding are angry about the government's decision to get rid of home mail delivery, and so they should be. This will be hardest on the elderly and those with reduced mobility. I should point out that Canada Post has made a profit of $84 million already this year.

Why do the Conservatives want to eliminate a service that is essential to the people of Laval?

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

To correct the record, Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government has done no such thing.

Canada Post is an independent crown corporation and is responsible for the three years of losses that have been piling up, which is because 1.2 billion fewer letters were being delivered in 2013, for example, than there were in 2006.

Canada Post has an obligation to be financially sustainable and not a burden to taxpayers. We expect it to be so.

Justice

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Maître Suzanne Côté on her nomination to the Supreme Court. I remain concerned, however, that yet again the government has gone about filling a Supreme Court vacancy with a closed, unaccountable, unrepresentative approach with no selection panel, and no parliamentary or public participation.

In 2004, in concert with Parliament, I implemented a series of reforms that made the appointment process more transparent, inclusive, and accountable. Ten years later, the Conservative dismantling of that process is apparently complete.

What steps, if any, will the government take to reverse this regression, thereby respecting Parliament, the court, and the people?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, as the member will know, the last time an all-parliamentary process was used in the selection of a Supreme Court justice, there was a serious breach of confidentiality, and we are continuing to review the process for future appointments.

A former Liberal justice minister said that “...a high degree of confidentiality is required for the process to function properly”.

Do members know who said that? It was the member when he was minister of justice.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the situation right now is very dire for the community of Change Islands in my riding.

The community in Change Islands has the potential to have a fantastic operation in its fish plant, and success is near. However, the problem is the adjacent wharf. The wharf itself has been deemed unsafe, unfit, and now an impediment to any success they might have from the fish plant.

I ask the minister to please assess the situation with the wharf that the community manages. Get in there, assess the situation, and put some investment in that wharf for the community of Change Islands.

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, in recent years, our government has made unprecedented investments in small craft harbours across Canada. In fact, just this week, the Prime Minister announced another $288 million in additional funding for small craft harbours across Canada.

We are very aware of the situation of the Change Islands wharf, its importance to the community, and the need to reconstruct the wharf. An engineering assessment is being undertaken to determine what can be done in preparation for the next fishing season. We have identified this as a future project and look forward to getting the work done.

Regional Economic Development

[John Rafferty, NDP, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, people in my region rely on FedNor, but I was shocked to learn that the total lapsed spending at FedNor, money that was approved by Parliament but not utilized, is in the millions of dollars. Last year alone, the Conservatives spent $7.5 million less than planned on FedNor's main fund.

Given our economic challenges in northern Ontario and the need for development in the Ring of Fire, here is an easy question. Why did the minister return the money approved by Parliament to the treasury?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on community economic development, business growth, competitiveness, and innovation that creates jobs and long-term prosperity.

We will continue to ensure that communities and businesses in northern Ontario have the tools they need to have a strong, diversified economy.

We are working with all levels of government, including first nations and other stakeholders, to ensure we maximize the economic opportunities and long-term sustainability of northern Ontario.

Rail Transportation

[Hélène LeBlanc, NDP, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since 2011, there have been three incidents involving trains in southwest Montreal. The most recent derailment a few months ago involved four cars carrying dangerous goods.

The Transportation Safety Board has called for stronger tanker cars and is worried that the government is not doing enough to discipline carriers.

When will the government listen to the TSB and make rail transportation safe? Canadians are worried.

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

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of Canadians is a top priority for Transport Canada. That is why it has taken a number of important actions with respect to rail safety. Specifically, as we vowed, the most offending DOT-111s have been removed from the service of transporting crude. The remaining DOT-111s are on an aggressive phase-out that will finish ahead of a proposed American standard for a phase-out. We have gazetted regulations for new, enhanced standards for tanker cars. We continue discussions with the United States on what the next replacement car will look like.

We continue to act, because safety is important.

Public Safety

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, recently the member for Scarborough—Rouge River stood in the House to celebrate Tamil heroes day, which is a day that marks the death of terrorists fighting for the Tamil Tigers. I say terrorists very deliberately, as our Conservative government listed this organization as a terrorist entity in 2006.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety please tell the House whether she thinks it is appropriate to compare the deaths of terrorists to the deaths of fallen Canadian soldiers, as the member for Scarborough—Rouge River did? Could she tell us what our government is doing to combat terrorism?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Medicine Hat for his previous work on the public safety and national security committee

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, known more commonly as the Tamil Tigers, was listed as a terrorist entity by this Conservative government in 2006, and rightly so.

I am shocked that anyone would equate this day dedicated to the glorification of the terrorist group Tamil Tigers to the solemn occasion of Remembrance Day, when we honour our fallen Canadian heroes.

We urge the NDP to stop shopping for votes from terrorist-linked groups and to immediately apologize to veterans and all Canadians for the comments made by the—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The hon. member for Saint-Maurice--Champlain.

Public Works and Government Services

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last month we learned that 34 federal public service jobs were being cut in Shawinigan. Those job cuts at Health Canada are added to a long list of jobs lost in Mauricie and other communities in the metallurgy and forestry sectors.

Does the minister responsible for those cuts plan to change that decision, considering the economic reality of that region?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to respect taxpayers. That is why we are modernizing several systems that deliver services to Canadians. This includes consolidating some computer systems. I can assure the member that every employee will be getting assistance in order to continue working for the federal government.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Anne-Marie Day, NDP, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec has asked the Prime Minister to clarify his position on CBC/Radio-Canada.

The insinuations and threats made by Carl Vallée, the Prime Minister's press secretary, to CBC/Radio-Canada's news director are unacceptable. His remarks undermine CBC/Radio-Canada's journalistic independence and cast doubt about whether freedom of information really exists under the Conservative regime.

How can the government claim that CBC/Radio-Canada is an arm's-length corporation when the Prime Minister's Office is interfering in programming?

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, those allegations are completely untrue. The CBC ombudsman was very clear on this matter. With respect to this documentary, the ombudsman found that the rules of journalistic standards and practices had not been correctly applied. We respect the ombudsman's finding, and so should the member.

Status of Women

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we stand up for women and girls, and we are taking action to protect them from being victims of barbaric cultural practices. On the other side of the House, the leader of the Liberal Party refuses to take a strong stance against violent acts that put immigrant women and girls at risk.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration please explain what this government is doing to help protect Canada from gender-based violence?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, this week the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, stated, “We must advocate with governments for child marriage to be prohibited by law, and for this to be effectively enforced”.

Our Conservative government is doing just that. We are strengthening our laws to ensure that no young girl or woman in Canada becomes a victim of early forced marriage, polygamy, honour-based violence, or any form of harmful cultural acts. On this side of the House, we are taking a strong stance against these practices, and we look forward to support from all members in the House when the zero tolerance for barbaric cultural practices act—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

Order, please. The hon. member for Jonquière—Alma.

Employment Insurance

[Claude Patry, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the beneficiaries to unemployed ratio is now less than 40%. It leaves not only unemployed workers but also their families and their regions out in the cold. That is an appalling record. Over six out of 10 unemployed workers are not entitled to benefits. That is unacceptable.

Why is the government deliberately leaving these workers out in the cold without jobs and why does it not help them by improving access to employment insurance?

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, the changes we have made in employment insurance do nothing to limit access to employment insurance. If people lose their job due to no fault of their own, the employment insurance system will be there for them, just as it always is. That is what it is there for. We are supporting unemployed Canadians getting back to work.

[Claude Patry, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the next three years, the government will help itself to $14.2 billion from the employment insurance fund. That is over $4.5 billion a year.

Rather than imposing a tax on jobs, why does the government not want to help unemployed workers with the money that belongs to them?

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, unlike what the opposition would do, this government believes that employers and employees who contribute to the program have the right to have premiums either stay the same or actually get lower. That is why we treat the employment insurance fund with respect, unlike the previous government, which raided it for over $50 billion.

Canadians can count on us not to do that, and to keep in support of all Canadian workers, employees, and contributors, like the employers across this country. We are defending the EI system.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[André Bellavance, Independent, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the agreement that was ratified yesterday at the WTO opens the door to negotiations on market access, including supply management.

The Minister of International Trade, who is eager to reach a comprehensive agreement and always on the fast track, needs to take into account the warning issued this week by the chairman of the Producteurs de lait du Québec, Bruno Letendre, who said that dismantling supply management would lead to a drop in prices for producers and bankruptcies without any guarantee of lower prices for consumers.

Will the minister be clear with his counterparts as we move forward and protect supply management, unlike what he did with the Canada-EU agreement and unlike what he is preparing to do with the trans-Pacific partnership agreement?