House of Commons Hansard #158 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was measures.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Mrs. Pat Perkins, member for the electoral district of Whitby—Oshawa.
Mrs. Pat Perkins, member for the electoral district of Whitby—Oshawa, introduced by the Right Hon. Stephen Harper and the Hon. Rona Ambrose.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, today, the United States Senate Intelligence Committee released a report showing that so-called enhanced interrogation techniques used on militants were ineffective and never once produced information which prevented a terrorist plot. The conclusion is simple: torture does not work. Yet, in Canada, the Conservative government has repudiated basic Canadian values by issuing directives to CSIS, the RCMP and the CBSA that allow them to use and share information obtained through torture.
Will the government rescind these directives immediately?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, very simply, this is a report of the United States Senate. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Government of Canada.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, we cannot wait to have a government with Canadian values.
The Minister of Veterans Affairs told us yesterday that he cut 1,000 specialists who help our veterans because they were just backroom bureaucrats who spent their days photocopying. That is false. Only 10% of those cuts involved administrative positions.
Why is the Prime Minister letting his minister mislead veterans? Why not fire him? He is incompetent and has lost the confidence of veterans.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we understand the NDP's position very well: that party wants to protect the jobs of bureaucrats at Veterans Affairs and it is opposed to veterans' services.
Let me tell members, in line of this question, precisely what I am talking about. In fact, in the veterans independence program, the department cut 100 people whose only job was to process small claims from veterans, which are now allowed automatically. That is what we did. At the same time, we increased benefits under the veterans independence program. The NDP voted against that.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, tell that to the 50% of veterans who cannot even access disability benefits.
Yesterday, when asked about cuts to front-line services, the minister responded, “veterans have been saying that we should in fact reduce”, but the minister cannot tell us the names of these veterans who have supposedly been coming to him, demanding cuts.
In the minister's fantasy world, he has only been cutting backroom and internal services. He also says that cuts in his department are somehow reinvested back into service: wrong, wrong and wrong.
The minister has lost the confidence of veterans. Why does the Prime Minister not fire him?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I could give thousands of examples of where we have streamlined back office support, including, of course, eliminating photocopy and processing clerks in place of digital medical records.
There is the difference. The NDP wanted to keep bureaucrats to do nothing but process and delay payments to veterans under a program it actually voted against. On this side, we cut down the bureaucracy. We deliver service to the veterans.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, for months the Minister of Employment and Social Development denied that there were delays in processing EI claims. He finally woke up yesterday, after being embarrassed by an NDP question on the order paper.
He said that cuts would not affect services. However, processing delays have increased by 54% since 2006 and the number of complaints has risen by 40% in one year. The minister's cuts have had a significant negative impact on EI recipients. Does he believe that hiring temporary workers is a long-term solution?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her question. Obviously, the government is committed to providing a good level of service to EI recipients.
I would like to thank my parliamentary secretary for the important work he did. He provided me with a report on processing EI claims more quickly, which we are implementing. Thanks to these commitments, we will give EI benefits to qualified claimants as quickly as possible.
Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Speaker, this minister is incompetent. He is responsible for the mess at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. He is responsible for the mishandling of the foreign worker program, and it is his fault that unemployed workers cannot access their benefits in a timely manner. He has gotten rid of one in five employees since 2010 and he said that it would not affect Canadians. Come on. Will the minister stop playing games and finally take steps to fix the mess he is responsible for?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister just said, the NDP never wants to streamline public services.
This government is proud of the fact that it reduced the cost of processing each EI claim by 42%. We have found more cost-effective ways of delivering important programs to Canadians. That is what taxpayers want and that is what they expect.
I accepted my parliamentary secretary's advice in order to process EI claims more quickly.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have a sacred obligation to our veterans who chose to put everything on the line for their country. The Prime Minister has denied this obligation in court and has slashed veterans' services.
Why is his priority a $2 billion tax break for wealthy families like his and mine, instead of properly supporting our veterans?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, unlike that party, we provide benefits both to families and to veterans.
The hon. member makes reference to a court case that is actually a court case against a previous Liberal policy. In any case, we have repeatedly enhanced the benefits under that policy to the tune of some $5 billion, opposed every step of the way by the Liberal Party, which voted against all of those benefits.
It can keep voting against those benefits for veterans. We will keep bringing them forward.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has cut hundreds of front-line Veterans Affairs staff. He has cut Veterans Affairs service centres. He has cut funding for war graves. On top of that, he actually gave bonuses to managers to cut those services.
These are devastating cuts for our veterans, but a $2 billion tax break for the most wealthy. Where are the government's priorities?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the truth is the complete opposite of everything the member just said. We have actually increased, by many fold, the number of service centres there are now for our veterans in our country. In terms of war memorials specifically, we have increased the funding for that for the community war memorial program, voted against by the Liberal Party. We enhanced the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, also voted against by the Liberal Party.
However, as I know, what the Liberal Party and NDP want to do is ensure that they protect those bureaucratic jobs at Veterans Affairs, instead of giving the services to the veterans. That is what we are doing on this side.
Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have a sacred obligation to our veterans who risked their lives to defend our country.
The Prime Minister chose to cut services, close service centres and even give bonuses to managers who cut programs for veterans.
The government is giving billions of dollars in credits to the wealthy while making major cuts that affect our veterans.
Where are the government's priorities?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We have increased services for veterans and the number of service centres for them.
For example, we eliminated close to 100 positions in the veterans independence program, positions that actually slowed down payment of veterans' benefits, and we increased benefits provided to veterans through that program.
In any case, the Liberal Party voted against those benefits for our veterans. We enhanced the program and will continue to do so.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of the Environment is on her way to Peru for the climate change conference, her department has published a report that shows that Canada has not made any progress in the past year when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. What is the primary source of greenhouse gases? The oil and gas industries.
When will this government introduce a plan to regulate the large emitters?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, obviously, on this side of the House, we are not in favour of a carbon tax like the NDP.
For the first time in history, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions during a period of economic growth.
Specifically to the issue of oil and gas regulations, this government's position has been clear that we want to see oil and gas regulations on a continental basis, given the integrated nature of this industry. With the current conditions in the oil and gas sector, this government will not consider unilateral regulation of that sector.
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, the report shows that per capita our emissions are actually rising.
The UN Secretary-General, Environment Canada, in fact the whole planet knows that Canada is failing. yet the Minister of the Environment arrives in Lima with empty promises and more talking points. However, nobody is actually fooled here.
Ban Ki-moon has begged Canada to show more ambition and vision on the climate file. It is about global responsibility, not about domestic politics.
When will the government finally take climate change seriously?
Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, our government is working with our international partners to achieve a fair and effective climate agreement.
We are a founding member and major financial contributor to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. We are also addressing short-lived climate pollutants under the chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
We have fully delivered on our fast-start financing, which has helped more than 60 developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. We have recently announced more money for the Green Climate Fund.
We believe any international climate agreement must include meaningful and transparent commitments from all major emitters. We will do our part without a job-killing carbon tax.
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, Canadians pay EI premiums so they have insurance if they lose their jobs, so they can still pay the bills and put food on their family's table.
Under the Conservatives, though, front-line services have been cut and waiting times have grown. This is not about hiring a few temps to help out for a few weeks; this is about finally fixing the backlog.
What is the minister doing to cut down on these endless delays, once and for all?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister underscored, the NDP does not understand that we have an obligation to deliver public services efficiently.
We have done just that. We have reduced the costs for processing each EI application by 42% through automation and through smarter procedures. That is why the vast majority of EI applicants receive their benefits within the service standard of 28 days.
We are going to improve our service, because I am implementing many of the recommendations that I received from my hard-working parliamentary secretary from Nova Scotia. The NDP should be thanking us for that instead of criticizing us.
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, after getting rid of one out of every five employees in his department since 2010—probably more bureaucrats—the Minister of Employment has finally resigned himself to hiring not five, 10 or 15 but 400 temporary employees to deal with the unacceptable wait times for employment insurance.
This is such a huge mess that the number of complaints has skyrocketed by 40% compared to last year. It is not right to make unemployed workers wait, when there is already a two-week waiting period for employment insurance benefits.
Does the minister actually believe that hiring temporary workers is a real solution to the mess he has made?