Debates of Feb. 10th, 2014

Democratic Reform

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has to stop playing fast and loose with the facts and start answering questions.

The minister knows full well that the 25% statistic for vouching while voting has nothing to do with fraud. It refers to the fact that “the tick [box] confirming that vouching was required was not checked”.

Does the minister really think that unchecked tick boxes are the biggest dangers that our voting system faces, and does he really feel this justifies making it harder for Canadians to exercise their right to vote?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, here is what I really think. I think that Elections Canada's own report should be listened to. Here is what it says:

Averaged across 308 ridings, elections officials made over 500 serious administrative errors per electoral district on Election Day.Obviously, this is unacceptable. Aside from legal concerns, public trust in proper administration of the electoral process is at serious risk if these error rates are not addressed.

That is Elections Canada's own report. That is what I am listening to when we make these laws.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is shutting down debate on legislation that changes the way elections are run in this country. It is shutting down debate—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. Order.

The government side will have an opportunity to respond to the question when the member for Toronto—Danforth has finished putting it.

Until then, I would ask them to come to order.

The hon. member for Toronto—Danforth.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is trying to shut down debate on legislation that would change the way elections are run in this country.

It is shutting down debate on a bill that is supposed to combat electoral fraud but that instead would target Elections Canada and ordinary Canadian voters. It would also give Conservatives an unfair advantage.

Would the government at least allow Canadians to have their say on it? Will it support the NDP's proposal for cross-country hearings on Bill C-23, the unfair elections act?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, the member does not want any debate at all. In fact, he declared his opposition to the bill before he even read a single word of it. But that being said, all Canadians will be able to have their voice heard. We encourage them to make submissions to the committee and the committee can decide which witnesses it wants to hear from right across the country.

I will be listening to Elections Canada's own report, which said on the issue of vouching, “Too frequently, the errors are so serious that the courts would judge them to be ‘irregularities’ that violate the legal provisions that establish an elector's entitlement to vote”. Some 25% of cases have irregularities. That is too high. We are going to protect Canadians against fraud.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government promised legislation a year and a half ago. It has introduced a bill that is quite likely unconstitutional and that could prevent tens of thousands of people from voting. Why does the government not hold public hearings across the country to ensure that this bill is tailor-made for Canadians and not for the Conservatives?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary committee will obviously be able to hear testimony from Canadians from all regions of Canada. That is still the case and will be for these discussions. At the same time, we will protect the integrity of the vote by preventing methods that have shown a high rate of error and giving more powers to the commissioner to enforce the law.

The Budget

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance should be using the budget to finally make significant investments in a stronger middle class. Instead, he appears to be using it to bully and advance his own political vendettas against the Province of Ontario. While the minister has never hidden his disdain for the Government of Ontario, it is Ontarians who are now facing a $641-million cut in transfer payments with no funding to help bridge the shortfall.

Ontarians have always paid their fair share, so why is the Minister of Finance now trying to balance the books on their backs?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, federal support for Ontario has increased by 76% since our government took office in 2006. Federal support will total $19.1 billion in 2014-15, a whopping $8.3-billion increase from under the previous Liberal government. After years of inaction by the previous Liberal government, our Conservative government took real action to support Ontario.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year the Conservative budget delivered a fake jobs grant, cut services to veterans, and slashed the government's shaky infrastructure commitment. It also attacked the middle class by increasing payroll taxes and added new fees on everyday items that we all use, like shampoo, deodorant, blankets, and toothbrushes. Economic growth is down again. Job creation is clearly stagnant and Canadians are tired of ads promising much and delivering nothing.

What will we expect in tomorrow's budget? More attacks on middle-class Canadians or what?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the economic action plan Canada has enjoyed the strongest economic performance among all G7 countries, with over one million net new jobs created since the peak of the recession, and 85% of those are full-time jobs and 80% of those are in the private sector. These are high-paying jobs. The IMF and the OECD both project that Canada will have among the strongest growth in the G7 in the years ahead. We have a strong plan. We will hear more about that plan tomorrow.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary is wrong. Fourteen OECD countries have done better than we have at combatting unemployment.

The cornerstone of last year's budget was supposed to be matching jobs with job seekers. However, instead of investing in this priority, the government chose to cut $300 million from the provinces in its budget and then asked them to contribute $300 million to a program it concocted without them. Then the government wasted millions of dollars of taxpayers' money on propaganda to make people think this program existed. What will the government do to fix this boondoggle?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, it is rather strange to hear that the Liberal Party is against job training programs that lead to jobs.

The principle of the Canada job grant program is to guarantee jobs for people who receive training and to increase private sector investment in worker training.

That makes sense, and that is why the majority of Canadian business groups strongly support the Canada job grant program.

Taxation

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, instead of encouraging job creation, the Conservatives have chosen to use the budget to attack charities. Their goal is clear: muzzle those who do not share their opinion.

It was under this government that Montreal's Mafia boss got a $400,000 cheque from the Canada Revenue Agency while he was in prison. That is Conservative incompetence at its best.

Will they let charities do their work?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the only issue is whether these organizations are respecting the law.

As a former president of the West Coast Environmental Law association, the member for Victoria knows that the rules regarding charities and political activities are long-standing.

The rules have to be respected. CRA audits occur at arm's length, free of political interference. The CRA is doing its job.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first opponents of the Enbridge northern gateway pipeline, like me, were called radicals. Now we are called terrorists.

The fact is, billions of dollars in tax revenues are being lost each year to tax havens, but instead of giving the CRA the resources it needs to fight tax cheats, the government is too busy trying to intimidate people who do not agree with them.

Why is the minister going after charities and letting tax cheats off the hook?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat, the only issue here is whether these organizations are respecting the law. The laws on political activity for charities have been very long-standing, as the member for Victoria, as an environmental lawyer, knows.

The economic action plan gave increased tools to us to look at enforcing those rules. That is exactly what we are doing. We have improved transparency by requiring more detail on political activity from charities.

The CRA, I repeat, is doing its job.

Air Transportation

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at a problem that is facing Canadians that the Conservative government will not tackle.

According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, complaints against Canadian airlines are up, way up. Overbooking, poor communication, and flight disruptions, the details are enough to make anyone angry.

The government promised to put consumers first, but actions speak louder than words. When will the government stand up for travellers and finally introduce an air passengers' bill of rights?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to that question is that we did so in 2008.

Under Flight Rights Canada, passengers have a right to information on flight times. They have a right to take the flights they paid for. They have a right to punctuality and they have a right to have their luggage given to them quickly.

We enforce these through the Canadian Transportation Agency. It is good to see that consumers know about their rights and indeed are utilizing the process they need to use in order to enforce these rights.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister not really remember? I will refresh her memory.

On the Sunday before the throne speech in the fall, her colleague from British Columbia was on all of the talk shows, all of the political shows, promising, wait for it, an airline passengers' bill of rights.

When it was not in the throne speech, we asked the minister about it. What did she say? We should not believe rumours. Is that really what she thinks about her colleague?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I guess I should ask the Leader of the Opposition, is it a rumour that they plan implementing a $20 billion carbon tax on Canadian passengers, or is that something they are backing away from—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, order. The hon. member for Prince Albert.