Debates of April 30th, 2014

Privacy

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, the telecommunication companies must absolutely act effectively and responsibly towards all those they provide services to. There is no doubt about that.

Equally, we have put legislation before Parliament that further protects the privacy of Canadians, Bill S-4.

The NDP had a private member's bill with regard to the same piece of legislation that did not address this issue, did not even raise the topic, did not offer any amendments, and did not offer any solutions.

Contrast that with what we have done. We have put forward the digital privacy act, consulted with the Privacy Commissioner beforehand, spoken with her all throughout the process, and put forward legislation, which she endorses, that says we will protect the privacy of Canadians.

Foreign Affairs

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Ukraine remains very troubling to me, to my constituents, and indeed to all Canadians. Russia's illegal occupation of Ukraine and provocative military activity remains a serious concern to the international community.

Can the Prime Minister inform the House of any additional steps Canada is taking in response to the situation in eastern Europe?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Souris—Moose Mountain for that question.

Our government and our country remain steadfast in our support for the people of Ukraine in the face of ongoing militarism and aggression by the Putin regime.

Today, I am pleased to announce that we are committing the HMCS Regina, which is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, to NATO's reassurance package.

I am pleased to announce that we are committing the HMCS Regina, which is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, to NATO's reassurance package.

Pensions

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians face a significant drop in their standard of living after retirement, but the Conservatives continue to block any real progress to addressing this crisis.

Now we see provinces losing their patience and unveiling their own go-it-alone pension plan.

Everyone knows that expanding the Canada pension plan and the Quebec pension plan is a better solution: lower fees, higher returns, and more retirement savings for all Canadians.

Will the minister face up to the facts and boost the CPP?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing the hon. member did not mention was that it includes higher taxes.

Why do New Democrats not understand that hiking CPP costs for Canadian workers and decreasing their paycheques while the economy is still fragile can kill thousands of jobs?

In fact, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates that the plan put forward by the NDP's big union bosses could kill up to 235,000 jobs.

Canadians simply cannot afford higher payroll taxes. They cannot afford higher CPP payroll taxes. Canadians cannot afford the NDP.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is playing a very dangerous game by refusing to take action. Our seniors' ability to retire with dignity is at stake. As if it were not enough to block improvements to the Canada pension plan, the minister now wants to attack the private pension plans that Canadians are counting on. Why does the minister want to help businesses weaken their employees' pension plans?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, again, Canadians cannot afford to pay higher mandatory taxes at a time when we are in a very fragile global recovery.

Let me quote Susanna Cluff-Clyburne of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, who said:

The more you increase the cost of bringing employees into the workplace, it’s going to put up a barrier to creating...jobs.

Unlike the opposition, this government has been focused on creating jobs, focused on skill development, and focused on building this economy again.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, let us read a quote from the finance minister's own department, which said, “...expanding the CPP would bring economic benefits”.

The minister refuses to listen to the premiers, refuses to listen to the experts, refuses to listen to Canadian seniors, and refuses to listen to his own department.

This is not a partisan issue; it is simply common sense. Boosting public pensions helps Canada's economy and, particularly, small businesses. By the way, it allows Canadian seniors to retire with dignity.

Will the minister put aside his ideological blinders long enough to listen to Canadian seniors, work with the provinces, and boost Canada's pension plan?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, again, the NDP plan to raise CPP payroll taxes while our economy is still fragile can cost tens of thousands of jobs. Maybe the NDP does not understand how the economy works. Maybe the NDP does not understand that we want to create jobs, not watch them walk out the door.

The NDP should know that it is very difficult to have a healthy retirement plan tomorrow if we do not have a job today. Despite the NDP's reckless plans, we continue to stand up for lower taxes, job creation, and economic growth for all Canadians.

Securities

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is simply putting off problems so that it can continue to hide its head in the sand.

In December 2011, the courts reprimanded the Conservative government for trying to unilaterally impose a single securities regulator. Three years later, it is clear that the government did not learn from its mistakes. It is again trying to move ahead with this proposal, without the agreement of the provinces and with marked opposition from Alberta and Quebec in particular.

I would like to know if the minister will comply with the Supreme Court ruling and not go ahead with this proposal without the agreement of the provinces, including Quebec and Alberta.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only developed country in the world without a national securities regulator. We will comply with the Supreme Court's recent decision. However, we have been working with the provinces for some time to establish a single Canadian securities regulator. We were pleased to announce that a co-operative regulatory system had been established with Ontario and British Columbia. We are awaiting other announcements.

National Defence

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservative mismanagement means our air force is stuck with aging CF-18 jets, while Canadians are stuck with escalating costs, regardless of which replacement is selected.

The government first said the F-35s would cost $9 billion, then it said $16 billion, then $29 billion, then it admitted to $46 billion. Some analysts estimate it risks being tens of billions of dollars more. This project has been an epic failure.

Now the Conservatives are hiding the very report analyzing options for the largest military procurement in Canada's history. When will they be transparent and at least release the supposedly public report?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, an independent panel ensured that the evaluation of the options to replace the CF-18s was rigorous and impartial, and that the results to be made public will be comprehensive and understandable.

Non-classified, non-commercially sensitive information that is contained in the evaluation of the options will be released.

Democratic Reform

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to submit an amendment to Bill C-23 to give the Commissioner of Canada Elections the power to compel testimony. Well, I wonder why.

The Conservative Party knew that the commissioner did not have this power, and that is why it ordered other Conservatives not to co-operate in the investigation of election frauds.

Liberals have submitted the amendments.

Will the minister finally do the right thing and support this amendment, or will he continue to protect Conservatives from election fraud investigations?

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

Mr. Speaker, the problem that the commissioner had with the investigation is that he discovered there was nothing to investigate. The hon. member across the way should finally admit that he and his party engaged in a whole series of false allegations, trumped-up allegations that have been proven completely false.

Also false is the idea that both he and the NDP continue to suggest and put amendments toward: to allow people to vote without presenting any ID whatsoever. We reject that idea completely and, unlike in the last election, after the passage of the fair elections act, every single person who votes will be required to show ID.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, when they were elected, the Conservatives promised to increase the number of military personnel to 75,000 full-time members and 35,000 reservists. Now defence experts are saying that budget cuts mean that even keeping the current targets of 68,000 full-time members and 27,000 reservists is going to be difficult.

Can the government confirm today that with these cuts, no bases will be closed, and that it will not reduce the number of full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, there have been no cuts under this government. In fact, there has been more investment in Canada's military operations than there has been heretofore in the existence of this country.

I can let the hon. member know that despite the continued opposition of NDP members and their colleagues in the Liberal Party, we will remain committed to Canada's Armed Forces in the future.

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

Mr. Speaker, in their 2008 defence strategy, the Conservatives promised significant investments, but nothing ever came of that because of their incompetence when it comes to managing defence procurement.

Now the Department of National Defence is in the same boat as the other departments: it has to make cuts so that the Conservatives can hand out pre-election goodies in 2015. The senior defence staff has proposed a terrible solution, namely to cut personnel.

Can the minister promise that he will not reduce the number of full-time members of our armed forces?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is completely wrong. Despite the NDP's continued opposition, there has been unprecedented investments in the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. The equipment level is at an all-time high, and that will continue under this government.

Sealing Industry

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Mr. Speaker, radical animal rights groups continue to slander hard-working Canadian sealers, comparing them to Nazis and likening investments in the seal hunt to flushing money down the toilet.

Many Canadians, including my constituents in Miramichi, are fed up with the lies, the sneers, and the slanders of these animal rights groups.

Can the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans reiterate the government's position on the seal hunt?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I know that everyone in this House will agree with me when I say that comments by an anti-sealing activist comparing the seal hunt to Nazi concentration camps are absolutely disgusting and an insult to all victims of the Holocaust.

Animal rights activists have sunk to new lows, attacking an industry that supports rural, coastal, and northern Canadian communities.

The Canadian seal hunt is well regulated and humane, and contrary to the misinformation constantly being spread by so-called animal rights groups, Canada has not hunted a whitecoat seal in more than 30 years.

We will continue to stand with the sealing industry.

Canadian Heritage

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, just how far will the Conservatives go to undermine CBC/Radio-Canada? Does the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages realize that the Canadian government's support for the public broadcaster is now proportionally 24% less than the average support in OECD countries and four times lower than what the BBC receives?

Is the minister going to come to the realization that it is time for her to take a stand in cabinet to address this situation? Will she stand up today and say that supporting high-quality public broadcasting is a choice we make as a society?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the role that CBC/Radio-Canada plays in Canadian society. That is why we are making a significant investment in CBC/Radio-Canada.

I think that my colleague is referring to the cuts announced by CBC/Radio-Canada. I will repeat that CBC/Radio-Canada's cuts have nothing to do with government measures. We are asking CBC/Radio-Canada to continue fulfilling its mandate under the Broadcasting Act and to produce programs, in French and in English, that all Canadians want to watch and listen to.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when even the Liberals are talking about it, there is a big problem.

Yesterday, 17 respected CBC/Radio-Canada journalists, including Patrice Roy, Céline Galipeau and Alain Gravel, protested the death by a thousand cuts of CBC/Radio-Canada. Over a five-year period, the budget of the French-language news service has been cut by 20%.

CBC/Radio-Canada does make its own decisions, but the Conservatives' cuts have direct consequences on the content and diversity of information. The Government of Quebec has demanded a meeting with the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Can the minister tell us when she plans to meet with representatives of the Quebec government? Is she prepared to reconsider her cuts?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the decisions made and announced by CBC/Radio-Canada have nothing to do with government decisions.

Speaking of CBC/Radio-Canada and broadcasting, the corporation's president himself said that the decline in the number of viewers in specific demographic groups and lower advertising revenues caused this situation. That is why those decisions were made.

Once again, we recommend that our opposition colleagues speak directly to Hubert T. Lacroix from CBC/Radio-Canada.