Debates of Feb. 13th, 2014

Citizenship and Immigration

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, three times the government has insulted Chinese Canadians. First, the Conservatives capped the Canadian experience class, which disproportionately affected Chinese Canadians. Then they raised the age limit for citizenship language tests from 54 to 64, when many older Chinese people speak imperfect English. Then they eliminated the immigration investor program, when almost 80% of the applicants are Chinese.

Are Conservatives inadvertently picking on Chinese people?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, that is an unbelievable accusation against a government that has apologized for the head tax and has made China almost our top source for immigration for multiple years now. We continue to receive the largest number of visitors and the largest number of students and to issue the largest number of work permits to citizens of the People's Republic of China. That never happened under the Liberals.

Moreover, we are cleaning up the Liberal mess by eliminating a program that did not achieve its objectives. Education, employment, and tax outcomes for immigrants were lower than all the other economic immigration programs we have, and there was a 10-year backlog left by an incompetent Liberal government. We are still cleaning up their—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord.

The Budget

[Dany Morin, NDP, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the massive cuts announced in the Conservatives' latest budget will force the Bagotville military base to cut its operating and maintenance budget by 19.2%, which will have disastrous effects on my region's economy.

Can the Minister of National Defence tell us whether or not these cuts will happen? If so, does he realize the effects of the difficult choices he is forcing the commander of the only francophone air base in North America to make? How can be he sure that these cuts will not affect the training of our fighter pilots?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to ensure that our armed forces are equipped with the best equipment to protect our interests at home and abroad at the best value for Canadian taxpayers. We are going to continue to help, support, and thank our men and women in uniform, and that is our commitment.

Our commitment is to renew our Canada first defence strategy. Now and in the future, Canada's armed forces will defend Canada and protect our borders, maintain sovereignty over our northern lands and waters, fight alongside our allies to defend their interests, and respond to emergencies within Canada and around the world.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the safest and healthiest food systems in the world, and our government has a strong record of action on this file. As we study budget 2014, we can readily recognize the absurdity of the Liberal leader's statement that the budget will balance itself, so with responsible budgeting in mind, could the Minister of Health please update the House on our government's latest investments in food safety?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2014 will deliver nearly $400 million to further strengthen our healthy and safe food framework for Canadians and to hire additional front-line inspectors. To date the feedback has been tremendously positive. Just yesterday it was said by a particularly high profile supporter that “...there is good news in the budget with regard to food safety, including the hiring of 200 new food inspectors”, and this is “a good idea”.

Who said that? Our very own Leader of the Opposition.

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's space industry needs help to recover and develop. The latest budget has nothing to help the Canadian Space Agency. Thousands of direct and indirect jobs rely on this sector, especially in Saint-Hubert. The Conservatives are sitting on their hands as losses pile up in this highly competitive sector that is vital to our economy, especially with Bombardier and Héroux-Devtek. How can they let a jewel of our economy waste away like this?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, that is not the case. As my colleague should know, last week we announced our new policy for the space industry. We have the support of Chris Hadfield and David Saint-Jacques, the new astronaut who will be involved in the process in the future. We are making new investments through this new policy to protect these key jobs in the future. We are using the Emerson report as we move forward with this new policy.

These new measures will benefit the aerospace industry in each region of the country.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Dean Del Mastro, Independent, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario technically qualified each and every year for equalization between 1977 and 1982. Understanding that Ontario had not suddenly become poor but rather that resource-based provinces had become relatively richer, Premier Bill Davis turned down equalization, reasoning that if Ontario qualified for equalization, this must mean there is something seriously awry with the equalization formula, not something wrong with Ontario. His principled position was a source of pride and confidence for all Ontarians. Rather than crying poor, Premier Davis and the big blue machine focused on building a stronger Ontario, with great success.

As an Ontarian, the Minister of Finance has directed record federal transfers to Ontario. Could he please detail these massive transfers to the Province of Ontario?

[Jim Flaherty, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member from Peterborough, Ontario for the question.

Ontario received almost $19.2 billion in federal transfers this year, which is an increase of 76% from under the old Liberal government, including almost $2 billion for equalization; over $12.3 billion through the Canada health transfer, which is an increase of 60% since 2006; and $4.8 billion through the Canada social transfer, which is an increase of 53% since the Liberals. This support ensures that Ontario has the resources it needs, if properly spent, for health, education, and social services.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

That concludes question period for today.

The hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley is rising on a point of order.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, arising out of question period, the Minister of Transport raised a serious concern about the ability of the transportation committee to travel, to hear from Canadians about rail safety.

She did not express those consultations as being a gong show or a costly circus, as her colleagues have done, so I would seek to move the following motion that I believe will remove the impasse and allow the minister to have the hearings that she so desperately wants. It would allow Canadians to also have hearings that they so desperately want about our Elections Act. I move:

That it be an instruction to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs that in relation to its study on Bill C-23, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts, that it have the power to travel to all regions of Canada: Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, northern Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia, and the north, as well as downtown urban settings and rural and remote settings, in the winter-spring, 2014, and that the necessary staff accompany the committee.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous of the House to propose this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

It being Thursday, I would imagine that the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley would like to pose the traditional Thursday question.

Business of the House

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that was a good example of what happens when the NDP tries to work with the government to serve Canadians when it comes to our democracy. It is okay to have consultations on one subject, but not another. To me, and to Canadians and other New Democrats, that is a very serious problem with this government.

It is shameful that the Conservative government puts its partisan interests in place and in front of the interests of Canadians. We have just sought to allow the government to move forward, not just on all committee travel but on allowing Canadians to be consulted and listened to when it comes to our election process.

This is not about politicians making the rules; it is about Canadians building, reinforcing, and renewing our democracy. The homeless, first nations, seniors, and new Canadians are all groups who will have their voices limited by the Conservative government when it comes to our country.

We now have the spectacle of a Canadian government calling the idea of such cross-country consultations a “partisan circus”, a “costly circus”, a “gong show”. This is shameful. It is unprecedented in Canadian history that a government would seek to say that creating new election laws is a partisan activity, that Canadians should be shut out from the process, and that it should take place in the Ottawa bubble with only Conservatives driving the car. We think this is wrong.

New Democrats will stand against this. We will seek to be reasonable with the government at all stages, as we have just attempted to do. In all cases and in all ways, we will represent the interests and values of Canadians who want to see a healthy vibrant democracy, not one constructed by this minister and the Conservative government.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I think that was the Thursday question and a question about what business we will be undertaking.

This afternoon we will continue the second day of debate on economic action plan 2014.

As we learned in Tuesday's budget, and have been hearing in this House in the debate since, our government is on track to balance the budget while keeping taxes low and protecting the programs and services Canadians count on.

Since the global recession, Canada has achieved the best job creation record in the G7, the strongest income growth and one of the best economic performances in the G7.

Economic action plan 2014 builds on this record of achievement with positive measures to grow the economy and help create jobs.

Under the terms of a motion adopted by the House yesterday, the vote on the Liberal subamendment to the budget will be held on the evening of Monday, February 24. The third and fourth days of debate on this year's budget will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 25 and 26.

Of course, those dates follow the upcoming constituency week. However, before we get there, we will debate Bill C-15, the Northwest Territories devolution act, at third reading tomorrow.

On Thursday, February 27, we will be sitting with a Wednesday schedule because at 11:00 a.m. that morning His Highness the Aga Khan will give an address to both Houses of Parliament, an event that I am sure all hon. members will eagerly anticipate.

That afternoon, we will start second reading debate on Bill C-24, the strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. This bill represents the first comprehensive overhaul of Canada's citizenship laws in a generation.

That day will also be the day designated, pursuant to Standing Order 66(2), for concluding the debate on concurrence on the third report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Monday, February 24, shall be the fifth allotted day.

Finally, while it is not reflected in Standing Order 28, tomorrow, Friday, is Valentine's Day. To this I say to my wife Cheryl:

Liberals are red,
Conservatives are blue,
this motion is not debatable,
I really love you.

In the spirit of love on Valentine's Day, I wish all the best for everyone, and those who are close to them, here in the House.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government, of the amendment and of the amendment to the amendment.

Financial Statement of Minister of Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, the federal budget does not meet the needs of Londoners. My constituents cannot afford this do-nothing budget. They are looking for action on accountability and affordability. They are looking for retirement security and the creation of good jobs.

Instead, the Conservatives seem ready to put partisanship first and delay help for families, who are still struggling, until next year, which is conveniently an election year. With thousands more Londoners unemployed today than before the recession, London families need help now. Quite simply, they should not be made to wait until it is politically convenient for the Conservatives.

This is the reason that the NDP has proposed practical, low-cost solutions that would help give families a fair break. These solutions include capping ATM fees, banning pay-to-pay billing, cracking down on payday lenders, reigning in credit card rates, job creation tax credits for youth and small business, bringing back the ecoENERGY home retrofit tax credit, and restoring funding for veterans. We need an increased investment in Service Canada and Veterans Affairs. Both of these services need an increase in the number of skilled staff persons, to address the growing needs of Canadians requiring the services that these offices provide.

Veterans have been clear about what they wanted from this budget. Instead, the Conservatives are pushing ahead with their cuts and closures. The Canadian military is still waiting on medical personnel who specialize in mental health. Promises were made in 2009 and 2012 for more mental health experts for military personnel on bases, promises that have not been met. Military personnel with critical mental health needs, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, are waiting for six months to see a mental health provider. This could become a matter of life and death.

What Londoners need to see in this budget are initiatives for manufacturing, food production and processing, and small business start-up help. I was sorry to see that there was very little help to get Londoners back to work. With 11,300 fewer manufacturing and food processing jobs in the area since 2006, we are in desperate need of concrete solutions.

We are glad that the Conservatives are promising to act on some new democratic proposals, like banning pay-to-pay billing, and reducing the costs of paying bills for consumers. However, they have made these promises before and Canadians are still waiting for them to follow through. Not long ago, the Conservatives promised to address the problem of high credit card rates. Nothing has happened; credit card interest rates are still unacceptably high.

Budgets are about making choices. Instead of attacking the challenges facing Canadian families, the Conservatives are attacking public servants, unions, charities, environmental groups, anyone with a criticism.

We should all give serious consideration to what a federal government is supposed to do. Government is supposed to be the entity that protects communities, builds the economy, supports important public services, and safeguards the vulnerable.

Unfortunately, the Conservative approach to seniors over the past few budgets has focused on tax breaks that only the wealthy can access. The government has seen fit to raise the age of eligibility for OAS and GIS to 67. It is an attack on the vulnerable.

The New Democrats would take a different approach. We have been calling for an increase to the GIS to ensure that seniors would not face retirement in poverty. We have committed to reversing the changes to OAS and GIS and re-establishing the age of 65 for eligibility. Vulnerable seniors cannot hold on until age 67.

The New Democrats have also long called for the government to work with the provinces to negotiate an increase to the CPP, ensuring that all working Canadians have retirement funds on which they can rely. The Conservative government has been clear in its refusal to increase the CPP, leaving many Canadians without retirement security. This budget does not include any indication that the Conservatives would reverse their position. It is indeed a do-nothing budget when it comes to the retirement security of Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform you that I will be splitting my time with a colleague.

The new horizons for seniors program was trumpeted in this budget as receiving an increase in funding. However, part of its funding was set to end this year. The increase would be $5 million per year, the same amount that was set to expire. The so-called increase is not really an increase. It is nothing less than sleight of hand.

These valuable programs enrich the lives of seniors, build community, and contribute to the local economy. Seniors' organizations, such as the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada and the National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation, have long called on the government to take action to ensure that seniors are made a priority by the federal government: to negotiate with the provinces to implement the much-needed increase to the CPP and to take action to end senior poverty. However, the Conservative government has failed time and time again on both counts. Canadians deserve better.

Canadians deserve a plan to address the backlogs at Service Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada to ensure fair and timely service for everyone. In this budget, there would be no new money for Service Canada, despite the continued increases to its responsibility to deliver programs.

Canadians deserve more money for Veterans Affairs Canada and the reopening of the Veterans Affairs Canada offices. Our military desperately needs investment in mental health care for our soldiers and our veterans. I am disappointed to see that there would be no investment at all in mental health.

Canadians deserve a strategy for improving the manufacturing and food processing sectors. What we got are further tax reductions for big corporations involved in manufacturing and processing, with tax breaks totalling more than $60 billion from 2008 to 2014. There was an extension of this measure, for an additional $1.5 billion. For these profitable big businesses, these tax breaks do not include any guarantee of job creation or any other benefit to our communities. I would say it is a failure to build the economy.

What Canadians deserve is a real jobs strategy that would actually help people get back to work, not more TV commercials offering false hope. We need to hear about real progress with manufacturing, food production and processing, and small business start-up help.

Canadians also deserve a plan to keep our postal service. The current plan for Canada Post will stop doorstep delivery for millions of Canadians, while dramatically increasing postal rates. Ending doorstep delivery is a real threat to vulnerable Canadians with mobility issues, including seniors and people living with disabilities. Hiking the cost of stamps by 59% will hurt overburdened families and small businesses that rely on those mail services.

The Conservatives often say that they want the government to run like a business, but what business survives by making customers pay more to get less? New Democrats believe it is time to modernize Canada Post to better serve Canadians and strengthen the bottom line, but getting there requires innovation, not decimation.

Unfortunately, instead of keeping their promise to protect Canadian consumers, the Conservatives are too busy protecting themselves and their insider friends in the Senate and the PMO.

Canada Post connects Canadians from coast to coast to coast. It is an important entity, and it is important to keep that connection and keep it affordable. We can do this. The government could have done it in the budget. Canadians deserve better than a do-nothing budget that tells them to manage with less from a government that does not understand its obligations to the people.

As I said, government exists to look after those who are vulnerable, to create a climate where jobs can be created, to protect communities, and to deliver services. This budget does absolutely none of that. We see layoff after layoff at Service Canada, among the people who provide the services. We have seen veterans offices closed. We have seen tax cuts to corporate entities that do not need them and make huge profits.

We see nothing of significance to the small and medium businesses that are part of our communities, that believe in our communities, and that actually create jobs. There is nothing for the youth. Our young people deserve the opportunity for access to the economy. Small and medium businesses could do that with a tax credit in the budget, but it is not there. That is a travesty.

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

Mr. Speaker, the government is going after $1.5 billion in savings by asking retired public servants to pay for their pension plan and health plan premiums. These people are already retired. Some will be asked to pay 400% more than what they were paying before. I would like to know what the hon. member thinks of this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my remarks, the government is about attacks. It has attacked civil servants, veterans, charities, environmental groups, and anyone who has a criticism or a concern. This attack on civil servants is counterproductive. The pension to which they have contributed significantly should be there for their senior years, for when they retire. We know that right now in Canada there are a quarter of a million seniors living below the poverty line, seniors in abject misery. Do we want to add civil servants to that?

Instead of attacking people and attacking pensions, the government should be working to bring all Canadians up to a level where they have a secure and safe pension. It could have done that with the CPP improvements we suggested. It could have done that long ago. It has chosen not to. It has ignored the advice of labour, of the provinces, and of people who are pension experts. It ignored everyone who had something positive to say about pension reform, in favour of this do-nothing budget.

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague and I are both from the province of Ontario. Given that the Government of Ontario was not at all happy with the budget earlier this week, I would like to give my hon. colleague the opportunity to talk about how she thinks the budget treated Ontario.

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

Mr. Speaker, while I have heard concerns voiced by the Province of Ontario, I have to say that I would feel much better if the Province of Ontario managed its funds more wisely. I cannot say that I am particularly impressed with the big corporate tax cuts that the Province of Ontario has given away over the last little while at the expense of the people of Ontario.

However, when we talk about transfers, I think we should talk about what is happening to all the provinces and the fact that the government will transfer $37 billion less to the provinces for health care. Health care is absolutely the centre of our democracy. It allows Canadians to access services, and the provinces will receive less. It is a very important service, not properly funded.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her comments and for reminding everyone that we are providing $5 million to the new horizons program, but I would also like to correct something in regard to her mentioning that the veterans' offices were closing again.

I would like to reiterate that five offices are merging in the exact same building. One office is across the street, one is less than a kilometre away, and the other one is less than four kilometres away. We are actually providing more services to veterans and not closing the offices.

I would like to list some of the other things we are doing for Canadians in helping them with jobs. We are launching the Canada job grant. We are creating the Canada apprenticeship loan. We are launching a job matching service. We have more paid internships for young Canadians, and we are helping older workers get back to work. Those are just some of the things in economic action plan 2014 that we are doing for Canadians.