Debates of March 27th, 2014

Democratic Reform

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, between Harry Neufeld's credibility and that of the Minister of State for Democratic Reform, there is no comparison whatsoever.

Harry Neufeld said that Bill C-23 will compromise voter turnout for the sake of the minister's obsession with a problem that exists primarily in his overactive imagination. Mr. Neufeld said repeatedly that there is no link between the vouching system and voter fraud. To quote Mr. Neufeld, “...voters were not the problem”.

Many experts oppose the minister's bill. When will he listen to them?

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

Mr. Speaker, when somebody shows up to vote without any form of documented identification whatsoever, there are obvious risks. That is why there are safeguards. Those are the rules that were associated with vouching in the past. One of them is that the election official has to document who voted and who vouched for them. That prevents the voucher from repeating the vouching more than once, in violation of the rules.

Unfortunately, in 45,000 cases, according to Elections Canada's own report, there was no documentation, and that documentation is necessary. It is in the rules, and failure to provide it is a violation. That is why we are moving the way we are.

Agriculture and Agri-food

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the grain crisis in western Canada is six months old. By the government's own calculation, the hit on farmers is $8 billion. The legislation tabled yesterday mostly authorizes regulations to be made, which are still secret. There is no comprehensive monitoring, no better transparency, no logistical coordination, no railway costing review, no new capacity, no definition of service levels, no way to measure performance, and no damages to farmers when services fail.

Why was all of that left out? When will farmers actually get to see these draft regulations?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, I really wish the member had read the legislation that was tabled in the House yesterday, because by reading it, he would see what this legislation actually sets out to accomplish.

I mentioned before that it would increase supply chain transparency. It would strengthen contractual mechanisms between producers and shippers. It would help to ensure that the entire grain handling and transportation system is working at its peak efficiency.

The member should support the bill.

Infrastructure

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the past week, we have heard from over 500 Canadians regarding infrastructure needs in their communities. Quebeckers want highway 185 to be repaired. In Toronto and southwestern Ontario, dozens of people want funding for public transit. In Winnipeg, the underground water pipes are freezing.

They all want to know why the government deliberately deferred money that is available in the building Canada fund until well after the next election.

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the application process for the provincial and territorial infrastructure component will open this Monday, March 31, fulfilling our government's commitment to be ready for this construction season.

Significant investments will continue to flow this year and over the next decade, the largest and the longest infrastructure plan in Canada's history. This government has tripled investments in infrastructure since 2006.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, next week the building Canada fund will be slashed by almost 90%, and the Conservatives are trying to deny it.

Canadians know that it is nothing more than a shell game. It is just a little card trick designed to meet the Prime Minister's arbitrary deficit deadline of an election. That is what we get with a government that is focused on austerity and cuts, not growth and jobs.

Why is the government compromising public services, delaying investments, limiting opportunities for economic growth, and hurting middle-class families?

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week it was suggested that a question such as this about shell games might be more appropriate in the Ontario legislature.

With respect to investments in public infrastructure and in public transit specifically, our government has invested over $5 billion in public transit. Here is what Michael Roschlau has said: “Never before has a federal government invested so much in public transit. This budget provides a solid framework to ensure that this will continue”.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is clearer than ever that the government does not get the seriousness of the grain shipment crisis. We know they are $8 billion short for farmers and more than a day late.

The Minister of Transport now actually admits that this year's crop is not going to get moved before next year's crop. There are 20-million-plus tonnes on the ground in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, and yet the Conservatives' new bill has failed to increase the amount they are going to move. No extra grain will get moved beyond what the order in council said. They have not increased fines to make sure that farmers would actually get the money. They have wasted a huge opportunity.

Will the minister now go back and really get the legislation right this time? The Conservatives tried once before and failed miserably. Can they get it right this time?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, clearly, this member does not understand what the legislation is setting out to do. The legislation is tasking the railroad companies to move one million metric tonnes of grain a week from the western grain farmers' fields to port. That is almost double what it was just a few weeks ago.

If the member wants to help western Canadian grain farmers, he should stand up and vote in favour of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, millions of tonnes of grain are about to spoil.

However, the minister continues to tell farmers to wait. The Conservatives cannot seem to grasp the problem. Grain farmers are losing millions of dollars, and our trade partners are starting to lose confidence.

Businesses across Quebec and throughout Canada are facing grain shortages. No grain means no bread, no croissants. What will we eat for breakfast?

Why have they not increased the amount of grain that can be shipped?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture]

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, this legislation obliges the rail companies to move one million metric tonnes of grain a week. That is an ambitious but realistic target.

I would ask the member to consult with stakeholders in the west who are trying to move their grain. For example, I have a quote here from Greg Cherewyk, the chairman of Pulse Canada, who said:

...this fast-tracked approach allows us to focus our efforts to get to work and to immediately put in place the framework that encourages effective agreements that offer more balanced accountability and ultimately more predictable and reliable service.

They need to better understand farmers. They need to stand up and support this legislation.

Canada Revenue Agency

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

Mr. Speaker, it has been reported that the personal information of 600,000 Canadians has been lost, and there have been 2,983 privacy breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency alone.

What are the Conservatives doing about it? Absolutely nothing.

A laptop containing medical and legal files was stolen in 2012, which is another very disturbing case. The thief is now trying to blackmail a lawyer at the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat. However, the Privacy Commissioner was just informed this week, two years after the fact.

What is the blackmailer asking for, and what are the Conservatives going to do? We want to know.

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

Mr. Speaker, we agree that Canadians should rightfully expect their personal information to be protected. The CRA has a close working relationship with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and acts on all of her recommendations.

I would clarify, because the member has brought it up, that 95% of the reported privacy issues are related to misdirected mail. The CRA handles nearly 150 million pieces of mail each year; therefore, these incidents represent .001%.

The member opposite knows this and should recognize that it is irresponsible to misrepresent this record.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the facts say at all about the data being lost at the CRA.

Last year, it lost the financial information of half a million Canadians. Now we find that there are over 3,000 cases at the CRA, and they only bothered to let the Privacy Commissioner know about 1%.

That lackadaisical attitude toward the financial information of Canadians is simply not acceptable. New Democrats say that every time people's data is taken, stolen, or hacked, the Privacy Commissioner needs to be told.

Will the government support this common sense solution?

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

Mr. Speaker, we do work with our Privacy Commissioner. We do respect the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations.

Again, I think that clarification here is very important. When a global figure was given on privacy breaches, 95% of them had to do with misdirected mail. That is .001% of the 150 million pieces of mail that the CRA deals with each year.

This is something that should not be misrepresented, and it is irresponsible to undermine the confidence of Canadians in a system that works.

Foreign Affairs

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last year our government announced that a tentative deal was in the works to sell Macdonald House. The sale represents an important step in our government's plan to consolidate Canada's diplomatic presence in London by revitalizing and renovating the historic Canada House in the heart of London, Trafalgar Square. This consolidation will ensure that Canadians will be better served in one centralized location.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update the House on the sale of Macdonald House?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to announce the completion of the sale of our high commission in Mayfair. We have sold it for $565 million. This is great news for hard-working taxpayers.

I want to congratulate our high commissioner, who has worked to help revitalize Canada House in Trafalgar Square, to buy the building beside it, and to have better headquarters, better visuals, and a better place for clients to come to get support from Canada's mission there.

This is good news for the Canadian taxpayer and great news for our diplomats in London.

Health

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, once, a long time ago, the Conservatives promised Canadians a patient wait times guarantee. However, what Canadians got were longer wait times. I do not usually quote it, but the Fraser Institute reported that wait times cost our economy over a billion dollars annually.

Why have the Conservatives cut $250 million a year that was earmarked for the provinces to help reduce wait times? Why are they giving up on ensuring timely access to medical care? Do they not care any more?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, what a lot of think tanks that deal with the issue of public health policy also say—and I know that has been quoted from the Fraser Institute—is that more money is not going to make a difference. When it comes to the inefficiencies in our health care system, we are investing record amounts of funding to the provinces and territories. We need to work with them on innovative ideas and better models of care, but more money is not going to make a difference.

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

Mr. Speaker, more expertise might help.

In 2014, wait times are longer than they were in 2004, the year the health accords were signed. That comes at a cost, and sick Canadians and their families are the ones paying for those longer wait times. Monday is going to be a sad day. That is when the Conservatives will officially reduce health care funding in Canada.

For the third time this week: why is the government refusing to work with the provinces to help Canadians get access to health care within a reasonable timeframe?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would give more kudos to the provinces than the member opposite does. They are working very hard on a lot of the difficulties faced and the inefficiencies in our health delivery systems in the provinces and territories.

Many of them also know they are already at close to 40% to 50% of their budgets for health care. They are looking within their systems for efficiencies. They are looking for innovation and we are working to support them on that.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, when I hear the Conservatives' answers, I get the same feeling that millions of Canadians get when they hear “Your call is important to us” and never get an answer.

For some time now, employment insurance wait times have been getting longer too. In 2012, Quebeckers waited more than 39 days, not the 28 days they were supposed to wait, and that was just to have their application processed. That was just to get an answer, not a cheque.

Does the minister realize that his cuts to services and employment insurance benefits are hurting Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, no, because that is not true.

As I said yesterday, 69% of employment insurance claimants receive their benefits within 28 days. We have to do better, and we will do better. My parliamentary secretary is looking at ways to make our operations more efficient so that we can better serve Canadians.

[Robert Chisholm, NDP, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister, in response to one of my questions, said that EI claimants receive a cheque within 28 days, yet his own government has admitted that applications are not completed within the standard processing times. In fact, since 2011, almost 1.4 million Canadians have waited more than 28 days for a decision on their claim. Why is this okay with the minister? Why is it okay for Canadians to wait nearly seven weeks for a cheque?