Debates of March 27th, 2014

Brandon Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the recipients of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce business awards, honoured at the 131st Brandon gala dinner on March 20.

Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, and those in Brandon—Souris are no different. Southwestern Manitoba is known for entrepreneurial spirit; and our local small businesses have a proven record of giving back to the community.

I am honoured today to publicly congratulate the recipients of this year's awards: Doug Murray is Brandon's business person of the year; Bernie Chrisp is the recipient of the community service award; Jeff Cristall is the recipient of the lifetime business builder award; the Paw Resort & Wellness Centre is Brandon's outstanding new business; and Behlen Industries is the recipient of the business excellence award.

I also want to thank the Brandon Chamber of Commerce for putting on a successful event and thank all the small business owners across the country who work hard day in and day out.

On behalf of all members of the House, I thank all small business persons for everything they do and for being pillars in our communities.

Canadian Heritage

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Paul Martin Sr. building, a federal asset with heritage designation located in the heart of Windsor's downtown, has been allowed by the government to fall into an unacceptable and unsafe state of disrepair.

After deliberately misleading my community through her spokesperson and attacking me personally for raising this issue, the minister has finally come clean, admitting that, through her government's lack of stewardship, it has allowed this heritage building to deteriorate to the point where it could seriously injure or kill pedestrians.

The government's management of this asset has been publicly referred to as a “story of neglect”, and others in my community now consider the Conservative government a “slum landlord”.

Now the Conservatives indicate that demolition of this heritage building is a serious consideration despite the city proposing an affordable way forward that would have significantly enriched our downtown.

This is a shameful and abject dereliction of its duty, and I urge the government to go back to the drawing board and work toward a solution that preserves rather than destroys a piece of our community.

The Conservatives have created their very own heritage moment. What they need to do is respect Canadian heritage.

Paralympic Winter Games

[David Wilks, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, a remarkable young Canadian from Kimberley, B.C., has shown how one can persevere after a life changing moment. In March 2004, Josh Dueck attempted a front flip, which ended badly, severing his spinal cord and breaking his neck. Most people would have given up, but not Josh. Faced with paralysis from the waist down, he took the challenge head-on and continued with his skiing career.

In just six short years, Josh competed at the Vancouver Paralympics, coming away with a silver medal, and most recently he won gold and silver medals in Sochi. Being named the closing ceremony flag bearer for Canada in Sochi is a testament to not only his dedication and commitment to his sport but also his lust for life and that attitude of never giving up.

Congratulations, Josh, on behalf of all Canadians, especially those in Kimberley, B.C. You are a real inspiration.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Mark Arendz from Hartsville, P.E.I., who won silver and bronze medals in biathlon at the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi.

Mark's competitive spirit and athletic skills are an inspiration to all Canadians. I would also hope we recognize the courage, dedication, hard work, and family support that contributed to Mark's achievements.

I remember vividly the day Mark lost his left arm above the elbow in a farming accident at age seven. Courageously, he used his experience to teach others about farm safety and worked with the War Amps as a junior counsellor.

Pursuing his love for sport and competition—in fact, he and his whole family completed in biathlon events at Brookvale ski park—he achieved the Duke of Edinburgh gold award and over the past four years earned more than 16 medals, including the world championship.

On behalf of the House, we offer our sincerest congratulations to Mark Arendz, a true Canadian inspiration.

Human Trafficking

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, March 25 was the anniversary of the adoption of “An Act for the Abolition...” in England over 200 years ago, which led to the end of the Atlantic slave trade. However, as we are reminded all too often today, slavery thrives not only throughout the globe, but also right here in Canada through sex trafficking and forced labour. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the survivors, peace officers, victim support agencies, and countless volunteers all across our nation for providing support, raising awareness in their communities, and ultimately bringing freedom to trafficked individuals.

Many of these unsung heroes dedicate their personal time and finances well beyond their professional roles. Particularly, I would like to thank all those involved in Operation Northern Spotlight, an anti-trafficking initiative involving more than 30 police services and 180 officers and support personnel across the country. We thank the police officers, NGOs, and the survivors for working relentlessly to abolish modern-day slavery in our nation.

Health

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, instead of negotiating a new agreement, the Conservatives have chosen to transfer health care costs to the provinces and to turn their backs on the health care system that is so cherished by Canadians. This will result in longer wait times and a lack of access to health care.

The NDP have a vision for a modern, public, adequately funded health care system. We want to ensure that Canadians have access to the care they need, no matter where they live. It is also important for Canadians to have access to quality health care and prescription medication without any financial barriers.

The NDP's approach is based on a collaborative federalism, where the federal government plays a role in prevention and the patient comes first, and maximizes the impact of government investments.

An NDP government will support new agreements to achieve better results, while recognizing the provinces' jurisdiction. In co-operation with the provinces and territories, the federal government must adopt measures that will allow all Canadians to have better access to high-quality health care.

Substance Abuse

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise as an MP but also as a dad, so I hope Shane, Jake, and Mei Mei are listening.

My Conservative colleagues and I have been meeting on a regular basis to examine issues relating to substance abuse. Our goal is to get the best information available to make our legislators informed and capable. We are dealing with challenging issues, such as the effects of cannabis, recovering from drug abuse, prescription drug misuse, and mental health. Informed and capable legislators are the ingredients of good laws responsive to challenging problems, which continue to weaken our youth, divide our families, hurt our health, and hamper our economy.

I am grateful to constituents and other Canadians who have helped with the symposium, such as Lorinda Strang and AnnMarie McCullough from Bowen Island's Orchard Recovery Center, Kerry and Ginny Dennehy, staunch advocates for mental health, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, and the Minister of Health, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the MP for Kootenay—Columbia, who have been avid participants in this discussion.

I commend all involved as these issues are so critical for our youth, such as our own children, and Canadians of all ages.

The Budget

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the leader of the third party, our Conservative government knows that budgets do not balance themselves. Waiting for someone else to make the tough choices is not what leadership is about.

Constituents from across my riding of New Brunswick Southwest were pleased to hear that, after making tough, deliberate choices, next year's federal budget will produce a surplus. By holding down government spending, introducing tax relief measures, and lowering Canada's debt to historic levels, we have accomplished this monumental task.

The other parties said it could not be done. The other parties said we were making the wrong choices. Making responsible choices that benefit hard-working taxpayers and their families is what our government has done and will continue to do.

Looking ahead, we are preparing another round of tax relief measures. These new tax saving measures will benefit hard-working taxpayers, their families, and the Canadian economy.

Fire Safety and Prevention

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the recent tragedy at L'lsle-Verte in Quebec brought home painfully the vulnerability to fire of seniors who reside in personal care homes across the country, and it has renewed calls for improvements to safety standards.

This week the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs has been on Parliament Hill telling us what we can do to make nursing homes and personal care homes safer. Thankfully, there is something we can do, and that is to install sprinkler systems in all personal care homes. The fire chiefs want the National Fire Code amended to make them mandatory. Some jurisdictions have already done so—Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario recently, and the City of Vancouver, for example—but a change to the National Fire Code, when it comes up for revision in 2015, would make it a national standard, which will save lives, if followed.

Please join me and the fire chiefs in urging the adoption of this important change, which would make our seniors safer and prevent future tragedies.

Seniors

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian seniors have played a central part in building this country. They deserve our support to help them enjoy the best quality of life possible. Our government continues to translate that support into grassroots initiatives, such as the new horizons for seniors program.

Last week, I announced funding for 11 community seniors' groups in my riding of Provencher. I had the pleasure of congratulating many of these community leaders in person. Groups from areas such as St. Adolphe, Hadashville, Ste. Agathe, Morris, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Piney, Sainte Anne, Middlebro, LaBroquerie, and Paradise Village will all be receiving funding for their projects.

Since 2006, the new horizons for seniors program has funded more than 13,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada. Our economic action plan 2014 proposes an additional $5 million each and every year for the new horizons program.

Our government is committed to ensuring that the golden years of our seniors are truly golden. With programs like new horizons for seniors, we will continue to meet the needs of seniors now and into the future.

Public Safety

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the violent crime rates in my riding are high. Despite numerous pleas to the federal government to put more police on our streets, the only thing we have got in return is more broken promises.

Seniors in Surrey, specifically Newton, feel especially vulnerable and are very concerned about their own safety.

Recently, the phone calls and visits from worried seniors have increased at my riding office. They are worried about growing instances of violence in our area: beatings in broad daylight, mail theft, and vandalism to Canada Post mailboxes. Now, the current government wants them to visit those boxes daily, alone, to collect their mail.

I pledge to seniors in my riding, and to all my constituents, that I will continue to hold the Conservative government to account for its broken promises for more police and safer streets. Seniors and families in Newton—North Delta deserve better. We all do.

Port Metro Vancouver

[Wai Young, Conservative, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last night, an action plan to end the work stoppage at Port Metro Vancouver was agreed upon by all parties. Our government is pleased that truckers have agreed to get back to work at Port Metro Vancouver.

Our economic prosperity and competitiveness and the ability of our products to reach new markets depends upon a well-functioning supply chain. This back-to-work agreement demonstrates all parties' mutual interest in returning to work, returning the port to full operation, and getting Canada's economy back on track.

Constituents in my riding of Vancouver South can rest easy, knowing that our government understands the importance of opening the Asian markets and the Asia-Pacific gateway. This underlines that our investment of $1.4 billion in strategic infrastructure projects like the gateway helps all Canadian businesses.

Our government will continue to work with all parties to ensure the long-term stability and reliability of the port for the sake of Canada's Asia-Pacific gateway, prosperity for Canadians, and the continued growth of our national economy.

Leah Dugas Memorial Kids Against Cancer Hockey Tournament

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 21st annual Leah Dugas Memorial Kids Against Cancer Hockey Tournament, which took place at the Sydney Mines community centre.

This event was renamed in honour of Leah Dugas, who lost her battle to cancer when she was only nine years old. Leah had been involved in the hockey tournament and had served as the official princess in 2005.

This year, 12 teams took part to raise money for the Cape Breton Regional Hospital's pediatrics fund. Over $60,000 has been raised for cancer research and programs over the last 20 years.

This event could not happen without the support of Leah's family, the many who provide the food, the Sydney Mines Forum, the Northside District Minor Hockey Association, the Sydney Mines and District Community Centre, and many contributors.

This tournament serves as a tribute to Leah's life and also helps families dealing with cancer. I would ask all members to recognize the Leah Dugas hockey tournament to fight cancer.

Agriculture

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, our government brought in legislation to address the rail capacity challenges currently affecting western Canada after a historic crop yield.

Our government is taking immediate action to get grain moving faster through legislation and regulations designed to increase supply chain transparency, strengthen contracts between producers and shippers, and help ensure the entire grain handling and transportation system is working at the top of its capacity.

The current challenges also affect more than just farmers. A strong supply chain system is essential so that Canadian shippers can remain competitive in domestic, continental, and offshore markets.

Alberta agriculture minister Verlyn Olson said:

We are pleased that the federal government has brought forward the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, which addresses some of our concerns and will help strengthen rail transportation system performance in the immediate- and long-term.

Employment

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. Kijiji is great if you want to buy a used Sunfire or a Maltese pup, or even if you want to find a drummer for an Iron Maiden tribute band.

However, the Conservatives decided to use the classified ad site in drawing up their employment policy. That is just dumb. They have easy access to hundreds of experts who can give them specific figures on the country's employment situation, but they decided to rely on a website that was designed to sell used fridges.

What will they do next? Will they come up with a housing policy based on apartment-for-rent ads in the Journal de Montréal? Will they advertise for the next Supreme Court justice on Craigslist?

You would think that, once people found out about the Kijiji episode, the Conservatives would have acknowledged how ridiculous it was, but no, the Minister of Employment kept trying, mocked the experts and defended the use of Kijiji data. In the end, he admitted that he had no idea what the current state of the job market is.

Canadians want a competent government that will take its responsibility to manage the employment situation seriously. They do not want people who rely on data from Kijiji when they are deciding how to spend billions of dollars.

In 2015, the NDP will manage—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order.

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake.

Truth National Tour

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we all remember the NDP leader's suspicions when he doubted that the pictures proving Osama bin Laden's death existed. He was very clear on that. “I don't think from what I've heard, that these pictures exist”, he said during an appearance on Power & Politics. However, his party soldiers on with the NDP's legacy of adhering to conspiracy theories.

The member for Halifax and deputy leader of the NDP is championing the truther cause on her website, promoting a 9/11 truth national tour, with Richard Gage. He is advertised as coming to Halifax to share his wealth of knowledge on what actually happened on September 11, 2001. What is that truth that the member for Halifax is advertising? Is it that the World Trade Center towers were brought down by internal demolition; in other words, it was an inside job by the U.S. government?

This tour is shameful, and it is disrespectful to the victims of 9/11.

Democratic Reform

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of State for Democratic Reform said that Harry Neufeld's report showed that “the safeguards designed to protect against voter fraud were violated”.

However, today, Mr. Neufeld indicated that the minister had misinterpreted his report and had quoted from it selectively.

Why does the minister continue to claim that Mr. Neufeld found that there were cases of fraud when there is no connection between vouching and electoral fraud?

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

Mr. Speaker, I will do what I have done all along, which is to accurately, and in context, quote Mr. Neufeld's own report. On page 5, right here, it states:

Ensuring voter eligibility through the administration of these special “exception” procedures is an expected part of election officers’ duties. Errors that involve a failure to properly administer these procedures are serious. The courts refer to such serious errors as “irregularities” which can result in votes being declared invalid.

Those are serious problems. When those safeguards are not followed, they increase the risk that the result can be overturned by a judge. We are solving that problem through the fair elections act.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

He is selectively quoting from a report to show that he is not selectively quoting from a report. I got that one. It makes sense.

Mr. Speaker, Harry Neufeld testified that neither the minister nor his staff ever contacted him. He stated, “I was waiting for that call, and it never came”. He also said that Conservatives are tilting the playing field in their direction.

The minister repeatedly uses Mr. Neufeld's report to support his unfair action, so why did the minister not consult the author of that report?

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

Mr. Speaker, obviously the best way to consult the author is by reading his report, which is what I am doing right now.

For example, on vouching, it is obviously risky to allow someone to vote without any documented ID whatsoever, so there are safeguards; one can only vouch for one person, for example. The only way we can verify whether someone vouches for more than one other voter is to keep records of who did the vouching. According to Mr. Neufeld's report, there were 45,000 instances where there was no record kept of the voter and the voucher. That removes the safeguard. That is unacceptable. The fair elections act will fix that problem.

Employment and Social Development

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, just because they keep repeating it, does not mean it is going to become true.

However, let us move on to the bizarre Conservative comments about their Kijiji economics.

The employment minister is telling economists that they should stop looking at data about the labour market and instead only listen to him. Can the minister tell us why he thinks economists, the PBO, and StatsCan all have it wrong, but that he and Kijiji have it right?

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

That is delightful, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that the Canadian labour market, in all of the labour market information at an aggregate level, indicates that we are not facing a general labour shortage, as I have consistently said. However, every business organization in the country, from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, manufacturers and exporters, the restaurant association, the Information Technology Association of Canada, and the Canadian Construction Association, all say that there are very significant sectoral shortages. This is an issue that we should treat very seriously.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the incompetence of the government's economic team is astounding. It is so astounding that what is left of its competence is now for sale on Kijiji for 99¢.

After lecturing all the economists in the country, now the so-called Minister of Employment candidly admits that no one knows exactly what is happening on the labour market.

If he does not know what is happening on the labour market, then what is he basing his decisions and policies on?

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

Mr. Speaker, if my critic had understood my comments on the subject, she would know that I clearly said that there is no overall labour shortage in Canada. Data from Statistics Canada provide no proof of that. That being said, all of Canada's business organizations are saying that there is a labour shortage in certain specialized occupations and in certain regions. This is a very serious issue.

Frankly, we do not have enough information about the labour market. All partners must work harder in this regard.