Debates of March 4th, 2014

Government Advertising

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the record investments of this government in the creation of employment for young Canadians.

The future is looking even brighter, because I am pleased to inform the House that last Friday I received information from the Council of the Federation that 12 provinces and territories have accepted in principle the Canada job grant.

I am also pleased to inform the House that I just signed an agreement on that subject with the Government of Quebec.

We will proceed with the Canada job grant.

Employment Insurance

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately we are becoming accustomed to the lack of transparency on the part of the Conservatives, who do not answer our questions and hide financial information.

Yesterday, when we spoke to the lack of information about employment insurance in the main estimates, the parliamentary secretary spat out a talking point on EI reform. Let us be serious.

Now that the Conservatives have had 24 hours to think about it, can the President of the Treasury Board tell us why there are no details about employment insurance in the main estimates?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House and the hon. member that there have been no changes to the EI program. This was simply an administrative decision.

The way the EI program works, we spend whatever money it takes to match the legislative priorities of the EI program. It is actually not a votable item in the estimates, and it was decided by officials, and I agree with them and stand by them, that if it is not a votable item in the estimates, it should not appear in the estimates.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, well, there is another Academy Award, for refusing to give a single answer on EI.

The purpose of these estimates is to show Canadians how their money is going to be spent. The government is providing us with a report on estimated spending with no details about the employment insurance operating account. This is a serious matter. It involves tens of billions of dollars.

I will ask again. Will the government now tell us exactly how much money will be spent on EI?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure hon. members that we will spend the exact amount that needs to be spent, depending upon the number of unemployed who qualify for EI. I cannot give the number now because the year moves forward and we cannot look backward until we publish the public accounts, at which point the hon. member's question will be answered in full.

Rail Transportation

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the estimates show how the Conservatives are happy to keep cutting away at rail service until it is gone.

VIA Rail has been operating without a legislative framework since Brian Mulroney's legislation died in the Senate. We have now updated Brian Mulroney's bill for preserving and protecting VIA Rail.

Will the government support my bill that I tabled this morning?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail is responsible for its own operations and has been doing so, providing passenger service in this great country for many years.

We as a government ensure that VIA Rail has the appropriate amount of resources it needs in order to carry out its job. However, VIA has to be responsible with taxpayer dollars and ensure it is providing the highest quality of service that it can.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, mayors from New Brunswick and eastern Quebec met in Campbellton to put together a plan to save passenger rail service in their region. They requested a meeting with the transport minister to study the options.

Will the minister agree to meet with the mayors and work with them to find a solution, or will she just sit back and approve these cuts in eastern Quebec and the Maritimes and abandon VIA Rail?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to receiving the invitation from the mayors. I am always happy to meet with stakeholders in the matter. I have a great relationship with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and when I receive the letter, I will be responding positively.

Multiculturalism

[Mark Adler, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of State for Multiculturalism. Last week at the University of Windsor, an anti-Jewish referendum was held and it was a one-sided resolution to endorse the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel. During the referendum campaign, acts of vandalism took place, which police have described as hate crimes intended to target and discriminate against Jewish students.

Would the minister please inform the House as to the government's response to this racist referendum and these unacceptable crimes of hate?

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Minister of State (Multiculturalism)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question and his hard work in this place. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish students and others on campus who are being forced to endure this travesty. We condemn this one-sided resolution that singles out Israel alone with boycott, divestment, and sanctions.

As the Prime Minister has said, Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state is absolute and non-negotiable. This new type of anti-Semitism is despicable and does not belong in Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Saskatchewan Legislature has unanimously passed a motion calling on Ottawa to expedite action to address the grain crisis. The Premier of Saskatchewan has called for the intervention of the federal government stating that, “We are at the point of last resort”.

Canadian farmers are pleading for action. Can the Minister of Transport, as is her mandate, commit today to expedite the necessary regulations in consultation with the farmers?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, this government is in constant consultation with producers in western Canada. We are also in good consultations with the provinces. I had an hour-long meeting with Premier Brad Wall last Thursday. We continue to communicate. We welcome the motion they put forward. I understand the Province of Alberta may be doing the same.

We welcome that input as we winnow through all of the options that are before us, to put our best foot forward, moving forward on behalf of western Canadian farmers.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, even Saskatchewan's premier, Brad Wall, is now echoing the NDP and asking the transport minister to step up—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Welland still has the floor.

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure why they would laugh at the Premier of Saskatchewan, but that is their choice.

Farmers in Saskatchewan still have not been able to sell last year's crop because rail companies will not take it to market.

When will the Minister of Transport listen to western farmers and to the western premiers and introduce rules to fix this, or are the Conservatives simply going to have another meeting just like the one the Minister of Agriculture suggested we will do again. One more meeting. Action is required. When will the government take it?

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with all parties involved in the western Canadian grain movement, the whole supply chain.

Yesterday, we put forward a very valuable piece of legislation on behalf of western Canadian farmers so that they could get the cash advances they require. Instead of carrying on with that debate and moving that piece of legislation forward, opposition members filibustered. If anyone needs to look in the mirror as to who is holding back western Canadian farmers, those members should.

The Environment

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend, Conservatives from out west, including Brad Wall and Jim Prentice, called on Conservatives in Ottawa to introduce greenhouse gas emission targets for the oil and gas industries. In addition, Jim Prentice said that if Canada wants to be an energy superpower, it will have to be an environmental superpower as well.

Will the Minister of the Environment condemn these radical comments? Will she finally take action?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government is a world leader when it comes to addressing climate change. We continue to work with the provinces and the territories on reducing emissions in the oil and gas sector, and it is premature to comment further on further regulations.

I can say that, thanks to our actions, we have seen significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike the NDP members who think they can tax their way out of every problem, our government is getting results without introducing a carbon tax.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is premature to comment further? We have been waiting three years for this.

I know the Conservatives hate taking advice from progressives, but now they are actually ignoring true blue Conservatives. They are treating Jim Prentice and Brad Wall like foreign-funded radicals.

Even Conservatives know that the government failure on this file is hurting our economy, it is damaging our international reputation, and it is leaving a massive ecological debt for future generations.

When will the minister heed this advice and, as Brad Wall said, “pivot to the environment”?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, we are taking action. We have introduced new emission regulations for vehicles, and we were the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal fired power plants.

Thanks to our actions, carbon emissions will go down by 130 megatonnes from what they would have been under the Liberals. We are accomplishing this without the Liberal and the NDP carbon tax, which would raise the price of everything.

Status of Women

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a report on the cost of violent crime in Canada contains sobering statistics. By far the largest cost is for sexual assault and other sexual crimes at nearly $5 billion, and 90% of these victims are women.

The government talks tough about protecting victims, unless that victim happens to be a woman. When will the government put in place a national action plan to end violence against women—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for Etobicoke North still has the floor. She has a few seconds left to finish her question.

The hon. member for Etobicoke North.