House of Commons Hansard #56 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was debate.
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Mr. Speaker, when will the government put in place a national action plan to end violence against women, and launch an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member and all members that the loss of Loretta Saunders is a firm reminder of the realities faced by not only aboriginal women but all women when it comes to violence in this country.
We as a government have made it a priority to bring forward legislation that not only toughens penalties but sends a strong message of deterrence and denunciation for any form of violence, including against children, but certainly against women, certainly against vulnerable people.
To suggest otherwise, or to suggest in any way that this government is insensitive to those challenges, is absolutely misleading.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, there is a $5-billion disaster in the Canadian grains industry. It is not the farmers' fault. It is the utter failure of the Conservative government's rail bill, Bill C-52.
The law must be amended to better define rail services, to measure proper performance, and to compensate farmers with liquidated damages when the railways fail.
Liberal amendments to Bill C-52 would have fixed all these mistakes. Why did the minister and all those western Conservative MPs vote against these amendments?
Agriculture and Agri-FoodOral Questions
Battlefords—Lloydminster Saskatchewan
Conservative
Gerry Ritz ConservativeMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, it is awfully hard to take direction in agricultural policy from a party whose only agricultural policy to date is legalizing marijuana, so everybody can cultivate it.
National DefenceOral Questions
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, in 2011, Justin Stark, after completing a seven-month tour in Afghanistan, committed suicide in his Hamilton barracks.
In the years since, his grieving mother sat through endless tribunals while the military debated whether or not her son's death was work related.
Mrs. Stark has just received an envelope from the military. In it was a cheque made out to her son for one cent.
One cent; after all this mother has gone through, this is inexcusable.
What will be done by the minister to ensure that this never happens to another grieving mother again?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that this is absolutely ridiculous. I extend the apologies of everyone in the government to his mother. We thank that individual for the service he gave his country.
That being said, this is an insensitive bureaucratic screw-up. I have just learned of it now, and I will take steps immediately to ensure that something like this should never happen again.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we appreciate the sentiment of the Minister of National Defence.
However, this is not the very first time something of this insensitive nature has happened to the heroes of our country who unfortunately take their own lives. We just want to make sure the minister fully understands exactly what has transpired here, because that cheque was not sent from the Minister of Defence; it was sent from Public Works and Government Services Canada; so somewhere along the line there is a change here in this issue.
Can the minister now assure us that this will never happen again? Can he assure us, in writing, that he will contact the family—
National DefenceOral Questions
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, again, I extend my apologies and those of the government to the mother of Justin Stark.
Again, as I indicated in the previous answer, I will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure a bureaucratic screw-up like this never happens again.
Bryan Hayes Conservative Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Mr. Speaker, members on this side of the House want to see qualified veterans placed at the front of the line for posted federal public service jobs. That is because only this side of the House truly supports Canadian veterans transitioning from military to civilian life.
Will the Minister of Veterans Affairs please update this House on the position PSAC took and what he intends to do about it?
Julian Fantino ConservativeMinister of Veterans Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
A senior Public Service Alliance of Canada spokesman, John MacLennan, said the following about putting injured veterans at the front of the line: “It's not right.... It's disrespectful to public servants, topping up opportunities for veterans...”.
Big union bosses do not like helping injured veterans get federal public service jobs if they are qualified, which we, of course, are putting forward.
Will the opposition parties follow their big union bosses and vote against the hiring veterans act?
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Mr. Speaker, just before the crisis, the employment rate was 64%. It is now 62% and has been for at least two years.
What is more, Statistics Canada has confirmed that the supplementary unemployment rate, which includes discouraged searchers and involuntary part-time workers, is over 10%.
With this sort of results, how can the Prime Minister describe his finance minister as the best in the entire world, particularly since the finance minister seems to share the Prime Minister's vision less and less?
Jim Flaherty ConservativeMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that over one million net new jobs have been created since the end of the recession. Over 85% of them have been full time and 80% in the private sector, and the future looks good. Both the IMF and the OECD predict that Canada will be a major job creator in the future.
Matthew Dubé NDP Chambly—Borduas, QC
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about jobs. There is an increasing number of unpaid internships in Canada. Nearly 300,000 young Canadians are doing unpaid work. These young people work hard and did well in school, but unfortunately, they are being forced to accept entry-level jobs and work without pay for long periods of time, often in very difficult conditions.
The youth unemployment rate shows that it is extremely difficult for young people to access the labour market.
What does the minister intend to do to ensure that these young people are treated fairly?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question.
We are making record investments in training young Canadians so that they can find jobs commensurate with their skill levels. That is why we proposed the Canada job grant, among other measures.
As I said before, I am very pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement in principle with all of the provinces and territories to move forward with these investments and thereby get employers more involved and increase private sector investments in the training of workers, including young Canadians.
Greg Kerr Conservative West Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, the seal hunt has helped to support rural coastal communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and the north for centuries.
Sealers put their lives on their line each time they step on the ice. I presented Bill C-555 in order to put in place better protections for all those involved in the seal hunt.
Would the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please tell the House our government's position on this bill?
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of Fisheries and Oceans
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his hard work on this file and for defending the seal hunt.
We have seen the actions of animal rights groups and foreign radicals disrupt the hunt and put the lives of sealers, licensed observers, and DFO personnel at even greater risk.
I am proud to announce today that our government will continue its commitment to the seal hunt by supporting Bill C-555. We hope the rest of the House follows our lead. Whether it is at the World Trade Organization or on the ice of the north Atlantic, sealers can rest assured that our government will continue to fight for them.
Jasbir Sandhu NDP Surrey North, BC
Mr. Speaker, truck drivers have faced excessive wait times at Port Metro Vancouver for nearly the past ten years. Now, we are facing a possible shutdown of the port.
This port is crucial for the flow of goods in and out of B.C., and a shutdown could affect the entire country. Truck drivers and port officials must resolve this dispute in good faith at the negotiating table.
My question to the minister is: What is the minister responsible for Port Metro Vancouver doing to resolve this conflict?
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for that question. We are indeed concerned with what is happening at Port Metro Vancouver right now. This government has invested heavily in the Asia-Pacific gateway, with the expectation that both port officials and the industry, including truckers, will work together to ensure that our goods flow in a very good way.
That being said, I have spoken to my counterpart in British Columbia, Minister Stone, over the weekend regarding this. We have been in contact with Port Metro Vancouver's CEO. We expect they will continue to work together, but if they cannot, then we and the province are willing to help in terms of bringing this to a conclusion.
Brent Rathgeber Independent Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Mr. Speaker, last week, the RCMP made the unilateral decision to reclassify the Swiss Arms Classic Green carbine rifle as prohibited, extinguishing the liberties of thousands of law-abiding Canadians. This decision lacked both judicial and civilian oversight, yet it is unclear to me that it was offside our current legislation.
The Minister of Public Safety has announced amnesty to individuals affected, and the government has mused about compensation for forfeiture. While these are positive steps, they fail to address the cause of the problem. The cause is the blatant legislative deficiency.
To the Minister of Public Safety, when are we going to see specific definitions of prohibited firearms and variants thereof? When are we going to see clear regulations in place to protect law-abiding gun owners from arbitrary bureaucratic—
Public SafetyOral Questions
The Speaker Andrew Scheer
Order, please. The hon. Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Steven Blaney ConservativeMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question.
As I mentioned yesterday, we are going to bring forward an amnesty to ensure that individuals in possession of these firearms can keep them legally. As I clearly indicated, we will continue to implement measures that put the safety of Canadians first without penalizing them. We are currently looking at all the options.