Debates of March 28th, 2014

Privacy

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is about as vague an answer as one can get.

Just because sharing data without a warrant is a common practice does not make it the right practice. Canadian consumers deserve to know if their private information is being protected. Right now it is impossible to find out how often their data is being given to security agents without a warrant.

This is a simple request. Will the government come clean to Canadians about how often their information is collected by Internet service providers? Yes or no?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, again, the same answer is going to be provided for the same question.

Of course, the Canadian government is concerned about the privacy of all Canadians. We take it extremely seriously and, at all times, all law enforcement and security agencies within Canadian jurisdiction abide by the law in all respects.

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

Mr. Speaker, no wonder Canadians do not trust the Conservative government to protect their privacy. First, the Conservatives tried an Internet snooping bill, but that was killed by the minister's offensive comments. Now they have a bill that is supposed to stop cyberbullying, but the Conservatives cannot help themselves and are trying to sneak in unrelated measures that would let them take Canadians' personal information from telecom companies.

Is that why the Conservatives ended the debate early? Did they think no one would notice?

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, the member is incorrect. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act applies to any and all voluntary disclosure of information. Anyone who violates the act can face civil litigation.

We are giving the police the tools they need to crack down on all sorts of online crime, particularly cyberbullying and child pornography; and I look forward to this bill going to the justice committee where it can be studied fully.

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

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, I am not surprised to see the Conservatives stooping so low, as they typically do, on an issue as serious as cyberbullying.

This bill has been before the House for months now. Canadians want transparency on how their personal information is being handled. They do not want political games or troubling provisions on electronic surveillance brought in through the back door in a bill on cyberbullying.

Why are the Conservatives afraid of debating their own provisions on surveillance in Bill C-13?

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, same question, same answer, only this time in French. The member is absolutely wrong.

The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act protects all Canadians and applies to any voluntary disclosure of information. Anyone who violates the act can face civil litigation. We are giving the police the tools they need to crack down on cyberbullying and child pornography, and I look forward to studying the bill more thoroughly.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the IPCC released its latest report on climate change today. It shows that mitigation efforts are failing and that adaptation efforts have to begin in earnest. Simultaneously, the Minister of the Environment has cut her budget by 30%, eviscerated climate change programs by 77%, and gutted her department's capacity to do anything.

Will the minister drop her usual nonsensical answers, take the IPCC report seriously, and engage her department in real mitigation and adaptation activities?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, no government has done more on the environment than our government.

We have invested record amounts, which include over $4 billion in science and technology at Environment Canada alone. We have invested a quarter of a billion dollars in Canada's weather services. We have given new tax support for clean energy generation.

Building on our record of protecting a historic amounts of land, budget 2014 is investing a significant amount of money to protect Canada's national parks and the environment; and right now we are providing almost $400 million to make even more improvements to our highways, bridges, and dams. Budget 2014 is also proposing to enhance incentives to encourage additional donations—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Scarborough—Guildwood.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is true that no government and no minister has done more to destroy her budget, lay off her staff, gut her department's capability, and to deny climate change.

The minister loves to take credit where none is due. The IPCC report is saying that a huge effort is needed, yet the minister buries her head in the sand.

Instead of passive fatalism, will the minister restore her budget, end the war on science, and get back in the game?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, let me continue on.

Our government is also providing additional funding to support the Earth Rangers, which educates children about biodiversity and empowers them to become directly involved in protecting the environment. We have renewed funding for Sustainable Development Technology Canada, and implemented a world-class monitoring system for the oil sands.

Our government has also increased the penalties for those found guilty of breaking our environmental laws and provided additional funding for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

We have done this without introducing a carbon tax, which they would have done.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The noise level is creeping up again. I am going to ask members not to give assistance to their colleagues, either in asking or answering the questions. Especially during that last answer, there was quite a lot of help from the minister's colleagues. I am sure she does not need it.

National Defence

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives like to use the army and soldiers in their photo ops, but do not seem to be bragging too much about the major cuts made to the Royal Canadian Army Cadets program.

Out of a total of 800 employees in charge of running the administrative program, no fewer than 400 will be laid off, even though 53,000 young people currently belong to the cadets.

How can the Minister of National Defence justify such a draconian cut to such a beneficial program for our young people? How does he hope to provide the same services to those young people with half the employees?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to cadet organizations and their role in promoting good citizenship, leadership, community service, and physical fitness among young Canadians.

On October 2, the government announced a five-year renewal initiative to strengthen the cadet and Junior Canadian Ranger programs. The goal is to enhance program delivery to increase awareness and participation in the programs and to enhance partnerships and volunteerism.

The five-year renewal plan will increase participation in the cadets from 52,000 to 70,000 and increase the Junior Canadian Rangers from 135 to 153 patrols. Through internal savings and reinvestment, resources at the community level will be increased and supports grow.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, under the Conservatives, national defence headquarters keeps growing, but the number of people working on bases with cadets keeps shrinking. It is more tail, less teeth. The rear admiral in charge explained these layoffs saying that he needed to renew, update, and refresh.

Does the minister really think the people who help cadets and who are now losing their jobs are going to find this refreshing?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government has increased the defence budget by 27% since 2006. Funding for the cadet and Junior Canadian Ranger programs has increased for the last three fiscal years.

We are very satisfied on this side that the Canadian Armed Forces has embarked on a renewal of the cadet and the Junior Canadian Ranger programs that will see cuts to the administration but reinvestments into the programs for our youth.

This is yet another example of our government's commitment to providing equipment and services required by our men and women in uniform, while safeguarding the tax dollars of Canadians.

Foreign Affairs

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the Government of the Philippines and its partner have signed a comprehensive agreement on Bangsamoro.

This agreement brings an end to the decades-long insurgency in the Philippines. This agreement is expected to bring increased opportunity and development in the autonomous region of Bangsamoro and, therefore, benefit all Filipinos.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs please share with this House the government's reaction to this development in the Philippines?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada warmly welcomes this very important agreement.

This agreement is a testament to the determination of both President Aquino and the Philippine people, who have for many years worked to bring peace to their country. They are putting conflict behind them and building a better country.

We congratulate them for that. Our government is very proud to have supported the crafting of the commission's recommendations on how to create a new civilian police force in Bangsamoro. Our government encourages both parties to the agreement and all Filipinos to continue to work together to bring a genuine and lasting peace and reconciliation to their country.

Democratic Reform

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Bill C-23, the unfair elections act, says that the party who wins one election will get to choose the central poll supervisor for the next election.

Do Canadians want more partisans running elections? Before the Conservatives unfair elections act came along, the central poll supervisor was non-partisan, appointed by Elections Canada.

Why do honest, hard-working Canadians trying to take care of their families need one more thing stacked against them by the Conservative government?

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

Mr. Speaker, the tradition of having political parties recommend names to serve in the local elections administration is long standing.

His party has, for example, been recommending positions for deputy returning officer and poll clerk for many years. That is the way it worked in the last election. That is the way it will work in the next election.

This process allows the various parties to hold each other accountable and make sure the system is fair, while the returning officer, the most senior official in each constituency, is appointed by Elections Canada as a result of changes we made in the Federal Accountability Act.

International Trade

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on May 15, the annual report on the impact that the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement has had on the human rights situation in Colombia is due. Civil society groups and labour groups have been given only six days to provide input to that report.

The Conservative government has clearly set an impossible deadline. Will the Conservatives now agree to extend this arbitrary deadline to ensure meaningful consultations can take place on this important report? Or, will they once again this year simply fail to take into consideration the very serious human rights situation in Colombia?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, that trade agreement has a built-in review cycle to see the impact on human rights, and there has been no impact on human rights as a result of that agreement. I would also note that $161 million has been dedicated to that country as a result of our relationship and our economic diplomacy in the region, to build its institutions and to help our partners build up their own human rights records.

It is sad that the New Democrats criticize trade and oppose every measure our government brings before this House to create more jobs in our exporting sector, which is already creating one in five jobs in Canada. I would ask that member to look past the rhetoric, get behind our job-creating—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Oakville.

Health

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 14 years ago, my 15-year-old daughter Vanessa Young tragically died from a heart attack while on the prescription drug Prepulsid, which was later deemed not safe and was removed from the market.

Today, our government has taken an important step to improving drug safety for all Canadians. Can the Minister of Health inform this House what is being done to strengthen drug and patient safety in Canada to better protect all Canadians from the dangerous consequences of adverse drug reactions?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of our government's historic legislation, the protecting Canadians from unsafe drugs act, or Vanessa's law. This is the first major update to Canada's drug safety laws in decades, and it will help identify potentially dangerous drugs, ensure the quick recall of unsafe drugs, and require reporting of adverse drug reactions.

I thank the opposition members for their support. We will work hard to ensure we have the strongest possible safety systems in place so that we can keep Canadians safe.

We can all agree that the member for Oakville deserves full credit for this.