Debates of March 28th, 2014

Government Decisions

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about what I have been hearing from the people of Jeanne-Le Ber.

People talk to me about how they are struggling to make ends meet and about the need to make life more affordable. They have pointed out the importance of social housing, and I received several hundred responses about maintaining door-to-door mail delivery.

The government talks about its mandate and having consulted with Canadians, but who are the Canadians that the government is consulting with? Is it Canadians who were asked to consult on bill C-23? I think not. Maybe it is the Canadians who demand rail safety, or maybe it is Canadians who will no longer be receiving home delivery. No, I think not.

From train derailments to the insipid attacks on the Canadian elections process, the citizens of Jeanne-Le Ber know that their representative and the NDP are there to listen and to hold the government to account when they cannot—until 2015.

Autism

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

Mr. Speaker, today I applaud the town of Gibsons, B.C., for officially proclaiming World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and for the official kick-off of the International Naturally Autistic People Awards Convention and Festival. This is the only convention of its kind in the world, and it is rooted right here in Canada on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast.

On its fifth anniversary, the participation has grown from four to 22 countries. For the first time in its history, it will kick off simultaneously in five different countries, with a Canadian delegation attending the Edinburgh conference. Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control announced that autism affects one in 68 children in the U.S.

The MP for Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont is a real role model for all of us parliamentarians in how he integrates his role as dad and MP. As he said, “Children with autism become adults with autism and eventually will become senior citizens with autism.” I commend my colleague and the Autistic People's Federation for their dedication to raising awareness about autism, supporting the autistic community, and helping all of us strive for the creation of a society in which autistic people can evolve and grow beyond any limits.

Rouge Park

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week was the 24th anniversary of the announcement of the Rouge Park by the Government of Ontario. The creation of the park was the result of the tireless efforts by numerous organizations, community groups, and local volunteers united in their desire to protect critical habitat and a priceless heritage for the people of Canada.

These groups included Save the Rouge, the WWF, the COSCA, and the thousands of other people who wrote letters and attended meetings. The Friends of the Rouge have been clear in their desire to see the park at 100 square kilometres, which is the minimum necessary to support a sustainable and healthy ecosystem. Sadly, it seems that the government is considering a much smaller area to designate as the national park, which would put in jeopardy the ecological health of the park and all the hard work of local residents and citizens. Worse, the government has failed to even consult with these citizens.

On behalf of the thousands of Canadians who care about preserving our natural heritage, I urge the government to have meaningful consultations and commit to the creation of a park large enough to sustain a thriving ecosystem. To do any less would be a betrayal of all of those citizens.

Birthday Congratulations

[Bryan Hayes, Conservative, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge my sons, both of whom I am so proud of. I thank Kevin and Brandyn for their support on my campaign and their belief in my abilities. I thank them for taking their education seriously and for the trust they place in mom and me to ask for our advice.

I thank them for the poker games with their friends, for our great outings on the golf course, and for our constant text messages. I thank them for the love, support, equality, and respect they show their beautiful gals, Chantal and Emily. I thank them for being best friends to each other, but above all else, I thank them for the love and caring they show to their mother as she loves them more than, as men, we will ever understand.

They have turned into superb young men. I admire them, look up to them, respect them, and love them both for who they are. God has so blessed us as a family. It is so cool to be their dad, and I want to say from the bottom of my heart that I am sorry for turning them into Maple Leafs fans. I love these guys.

Happy birthday, Brandyn.

Neighbourhood and Family Outreach Centres in Alfred-Pellan

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in the House to acknowledge the exceptional work of the employees and volunteers at the neighbourhood and family outreach centres in my riding.

In Alfred-Pellan, we are lucky to have a number of agencies that work hard to make our community more welcoming and dynamic. The Vimont neighbourhood centre, and the Saint François and Auteuil family outreach centres are a few of the agencies that support thousands of people in Laval every year.

I want to commend the Saint François family outreach centre in particular for its new community initiative, a community newspaper called La Voix de St-François. Everyone in Saint François was delighted to receive this publication in their mailbox and we are already looking forward to reading the next issue.

To all the employees and volunteers at these agencies that are so important to our communities, thank you very much. Your devotion and hard work are essential to the well-being of the people of Laval.

Brampton Batman

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us.

A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulders. Brampton has that hero: the Brampton Batman.

Stephen Lawrence is more than just a man. He has devoted himself to an ideal and become something else entirely. For over two years, he has been a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark knight who has walked the streets of Brampton at night helping others.

He has changed tires, helped people cross the street, and even saved a life by performing CPR. The Brampton Batman is always happy to take pictures or lend a helping hand. He even has his own Batmobile, and yes, it comes in black.

Brampton is full of people ready to believe in good, and the Brampton Batman helps us believe. He is a hero Brampton deserves.

Rural Economic Summit of Ontario

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the Rural Economic Summit of Ontario, an excellent event that will be taking place in my riding.

As the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, some of my main objectives are to strengthen the local economies in my riding, encourage innovation and promote entrepreneurship.

Having owned a small business before becoming an MP, I can understand the desire of rural businesses to grow and prosper. That is why I support the Rural Economic Summit of Ontario, which will be held from April 30 to May 2, in Clarence-Rockland, in my riding.

The rural economic summit will bring together rural business owners from all over Ontario and will tackle a number of important themes, such as agri-food industry challenges, best practices, networking, and entrepreneurial initiatives.

I am very honoured to be attending this year along with our Minister of State for Finance.

Small and medium-sized businesses are the job creators within our communities, and they are critical to stimulating economic growth and stability within our local economies.

I hope to see all Ontario businesses there at the summit.

Air Passengers' Rights

[José Nunez-Melo, NDP, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Bill C-459 on air passengers' rights in Canada was defeated in this place by the members opposite. Unlike Canada, most developed countries in the world have adopted laws on the rights of air passengers. As a result of the Conservatives' inexplicable decision, thousands of Canadians across the country have already been affected and will continue to be affected by this legislative void.

Some of these passengers are seniors, people with disabilities, students and people with limited financial resources. These travellers have been penalized because airlines have humiliated them by not recognizing their right to legitimate compensation.

We wonder why this government refuses to defend consumers. The actions of this Conservative government and its usual and systematic negligence must be condemned and give us further incentive to restore Canadians' dignity and well-being in 2015.

Offshore Health and Safety

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we debated Bill C-5, the offshore health and safety act, at third reading.

While NDP members said they supported the bill, they continued to bring forward proposals that would further delay the passage of this important legislation. Offshore workers deserve better.

This legislation is widely supported by industry, offshore workers, the offshore regulatory boards, and key stakeholders, including Justice Robert Wells.

The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Province of Nova Scotia have already given royal assent to their respective bills and now wait on our Parliament for the law to come into force.

NDP members failed Canadian workers yesterday when they filibustered Bill C-5 and refused to allow Parliament to give offshore workers what they have been asking for.

When will the NDP stop its delay tactics and pass this bill?

Quebec Organization for Immigrants

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

Mr. Speaker, this year is the 15th anniversary of Quebec's action week against racism, which is known as Semaine d'actions contre le racisme. Discrimination, racism and exclusion hold our country back, and we benefit from diversity in a world that is becoming increasingly complex.

I want to highlight the exceptional work done by Chantier d'Afrique Canada. This organization helps Quebeckers of African origin successfully integrate by providing a place where they can find information, consult each other and work together.

The organization's CEPFI program, which provides professional support to immigrant women, is particularly close to my heart. The CEPFI program offers training, networking and internships to provide meaningful ways to help women get involved and to promote cultural diversity.

I want to personally thank the entire team at Chantier d'Afrique Canada, and particularly Henriette Kandula, the executive director, for helping immigrants with their socio-professional development.

Pensions

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Liberal leader, who wants to raise taxes on seniors so he can spend, spend, spend, our Conservative government believes that seniors deserve to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. That is why we have taken unprecedented action to put more money back in the pockets of seniors and all other Canadians.

We cut the GST, introduced pension income splitting and created a tax-free savings account that has allowed more than nine million Canadians to save tax free. However, we did not stop there. We introduced pooled registered pension plans to help small businesses and the self-employed to save for their retirement.

Yesterday a new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Certified General Accountants of Ontario endorsed pooled registered pension plans as a solution for Ontario. A whopping 86% of employers surveyed support introducing PRPPs. We are pleased to see such strong support for our government's action. It is too bad the opposition voted against it.

We encourage all provinces to move forward with PRPPs. We continue to stand up for seniors and retirees in Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, and all of Canada, by building our world-renowned retirement income system while keeping taxes low.

Democratic Reform

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday at committee, while studying the unfair elections act, we welcomed Mr. Harry Neufeld, the former elections chief of British Columbia. He recently wrote a report on the election of 2011. Because the minister likes to quote from his report, here is what Mr. Neufeld had to say:

...it is important to me that my report is properly understood. Having listened carefully to what the Minister has said, it is my opinion that he has not interpreted my report correctly.

He went on to say:

However, over the course of my study, I heard of no candidate scrutineers, voters, or media representatives ever raising an issue with respect to vouching fraud.

That is the very system the minister now wishes to eliminate.

With regard to the minister's quoting of his report, Mr. Neufeld also said that the minister has been “selectively reading and quoting from my report.”

Finally, he said this:

...I believe it is clear that parts of Bill C-23 require careful reconsideration.

Finally, The Globe and Mail said—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex.

The Economy

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when one is the Liberal leader, no tough choices, discipline, or savings are required. Someone who thinks budgets balance themselves should never be trusted with jobs and the economy.

Our government knows that good economic management requires tough decisions and sound judgment. Our government remains steadfast in our commitment to strengthen the economy for all Canadians.

Canada has had a strong economic performance during the global crisis and recovery. Our overall job growth since the depth of the recession is among the best of the G7 countries, with over one million net new jobs.

KPMG has just ranked Canada as the most cost-competitive mature market country in the world for business.

Today, our government will introduce economic action plan 2014 no. 1, marking the next chapter in keeping our commitment to Canadians. We remain focused on our key priorities: supporting families and communities, creating jobs and opportunities, and returning to a balanced budget in 2015.

Job Market

[Alain Giguère, NDP, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we knew that the Conservatives had a bad habit of basing their decisions on their ideology or on good old reform prejudice, but this week, we found out that when it comes to making decisions about the job market, the Conservatives rely not on experts or Statistics Canada, but on Kijiji. Yes, the same site where people buy a sofa bed for their teenager who just moved out.

Across Canada, Canadians who no longer have access to employment insurance are looking for jobs. The government's response is to check on Kijiji between an ad for winter tires and another for a garage sale in Mont-Joli.

I never thought I would have to say this, but Kijiji is not a reliable source for managing the job market of a G7 country. Canadians deserve better than a government that makes it up as it goes along. In 2015, the NDP will put an end to the “Kijiji economy”. We will provide real jobs to Canadians.

Truth National Tour

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the NDP tried to distance itself from the national truth tour, denying its affiliation with the truther cause and its belief that 9/11 was an inside job.

It should be mentioned, too, that the member for Vancouver Kingsway and the member for Vancouver East also had links and exchanges with the truther cause, with the member for Vancouver East delivering a truther petition in 2008. The petition states:

We further believe that elements within the US government were complicit in the murder of thousands of people on 9/11/2001.

It also says:

...scientific and eyewitness evidence shows that the 9/11 Commission Report is a fraudulent document and that those behind the report are consciously or unconsciously guilty of covering up what happened on 9/11/2001.

The NDP can say what it wants, but the real truth is that there is a disturbing pattern among its members, including the NDP leader and his deputy leader, the member for Halifax, of supporting and sustaining ideas of conspiracy—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

Oral questions, the hon. member for Halifax.

Democratic Reform

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of State for Democratic Reform keeps using the word “fraud” when talking about the Neufeld report. Yesterday, Mr. Neufeld stated very clearly that he did not find any evidence of fraud.

When will the minister stop distorting what Mr. Neufeld said? Why did he not consult Harry Neufeld to find out what is really going on?

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

Mr. Speaker, what I said yesterday and what I have been saying all along since I first introduced the fair elections act is that there are measures in place to prevent fraud linked to vouching. Not implementing those measures increases the risk of fraud. That is why the rules are in place. Those rules were broken some 50,000 times in the last election. That is unacceptable. That is one of the reasons why we expect people to bring a piece of identification to prove their identity when voting.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, again, he is selectively quoting to show he is not selectively quoting. Mr. Neufeld testified that our electoral system does need to be modernized, but he said there are ways to fix the problems with vouching. For example, there could be a declaration taken.

Why did the minister refuse to look at practical solutions like this? Why, instead, are the Conservatives choosing to eliminate vouching and therefore disenfranchising thousands of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are the taking the reasonable position that when someone shows up to vote that they present some identification to show who they are. That is a reasonable position that I think average Canadians would support.

They do not have to use photo ID, or even government-issued ID. They have 39 different forms of identification that they can use, everything from a utility bill to an OAS cheque stub to an employment insurance cheque stub, to dozens of others. Most Canadians would agree that is a reasonable approach to take.

Employment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, moving on to another example of the government just making things up, Conservatives were pretty embarrassed this week when they were forced to admit that they used data from Kijiji instead of Statistics Canada to support their budget.

This information was used to justify regressive attacks on wages and collective bargaining.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order. It is a Friday, and the sound seems to be carrying more than—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!