House of Commons Hansard #70 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was infrastructure.
Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the jurisdiction of provinces, and transit is under provincial jurisdiction.
Under all components of the new building Canada plan, transit is available for municipalities in the country. Note that they will propose projects, and we will analyze them.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, on Friday I asked the Minister of Justice if he would be meeting with the families of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls this week. He ignored my question.
After the profound disappointment with the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women, it is clear that the minister needs to hear directly from the victims' families in order to achieve justice for these ignored victims of crime. Let me try again. Will the Minister of Justice commit to meeting with the families of these victims this week?
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, during the course of my consultations for the victims bill of rights, I met with hundreds of victims across this country.
More important than further meetings and further talk from the member opposite, we have included specific measures and specific resource commitments to victims of crime across this country. We have introduced legislation. We have put in place more programs to help and support them. We just had a recent parliamentary committee that looked into the issues.
The member opposite can talk. We act. This is a week for action. We will continue to stand up for victims of crime.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, aboriginal people want action. They do not want talk coming from the minister.
Let us look at it from the perspective of 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls, and women who are going missing and are being murdered. In Winnipeg North alone we are talking about over a dozen women and girls who have been murdered or are missing.
This is my question for the minister. Can he tell us why the government will not have a public inquiry into the hundreds of missing and murdered women and girls? Tell us why you will not have the public—
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
Order, please. I remind the hon. member to address his questions through the Chair, not directly at the ministers.
The hon. Minister of Justice.
Peter MacKay ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, it is curious that the member just asked for action, and the questioner from his own party said we should have more talk.
The reality is we are acting. We have put more resources, more legislation, in place to provide those law enforcement officers who are tasked with tracking down and holding accountable. We have put in place a DNA databank to help with unsolved murders and missing individuals. We have put in place more programs to help women on reserve, including giving them access to matrimonial property. The member opposite and his party opposed those measures.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canadian Tamil groups have been calling for an independent international investigation into atrocities committed during the tragic civil war. These groups are now being targeted and falsely accused by the Sri Lankan government. Canadians will not stand by while a foreign government smears our civil society and their membership.
Will the government join us and do something and stand up on behalf of Tamil Canadians against the smears by the Sri Lankan government?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians can be tremendously proud that the Government of Canada has taken perhaps one of the strongest reactions to what we see going on in Colombo than any government in the world.
We have fought hard for independent investigations into the number of people and the war crimes that took place in the dying days of the civil war. We fought hard on the issue of human rights and the growing authoritarian trend in the government in Colombo, and we fought hard for reconciliation so that the Tamil community can play a full part in the future building of Sri Lanka.
We are deeply concerned that Canadians would be identified and singled out for attention, as has the Government of Canada. However, we remain focused on doing all we can to help the Tamil minority to live in peace and security with their neighbours.
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, on Friday we asked about the troubling rise of anti-Semitism and Hungary's safe-country designation by the government. The Conservatives accused us of misleading Canadians. Yesterday, the far-right Jobbik party won over 20% of the vote. One in five votes went to the extreme right party, whose leaders have called for things like putting Jews on a list because they might pose a national security risk.
Will the Conservatives now acknowledge that there is a serious concern here? What is the government going to do about the rising anti-Semitism in Hungary right now?
Chris Alexander ConservativeMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, we are tremendously concerned about reports and evidence of anti-Semitism in Ukraine and other countries in central and eastern Europe. We follow these trends extremely closely, and when it comes to designating safe countries, there are objective criteria in Canada's legislation, and those designations are reviewed on a continuing basis.
In the meantime, we are extremely proud that our reforms have reduced the number of asylum claims from safe countries, including those in the European Union, opening the door to a much larger number of asylum claims from those countries that are truly not safe, where large numbers of Jews and others face persecution on a large scale. For genuine refugees from around the world, Canada will continue to do its part.
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, our government strongly believes that Canada is better off when the talents and skills of women are fully represented in every sector, from construction sites to small businesses to corporate boardrooms.
Can the Minister of Status of Women please inform this House of what our government is doing to support women in non-traditional careers, such as new technologies and the digital economy, and how the event she is attending later today recognizes the contribution of Canadian women in this field?
Kellie Leitch ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Mississauga South for the question and for her outstanding work on the status of women committee.
Our government is committed to taking concrete action to support new economic opportunities for all Canadians. This includes the Status of Women's women in technology initiative that helps women advance in the IT sectors, where we are encouraging them to participate. The information technology sector is a powerful tool when it comes to empowering women internationally.
I would like to take this opportunity to salute the winners of the 2014 Canadian Women in Communications and Technology awards, who will be recognized later today for advancing women's achievements in Canada's digital economy. Congratulations.
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
Mr. Speaker, small businesses rely on regular, consistent mail delivery. Rampmaster, a small business in my community, now receives mail intermittently. They have to wait for incoming payments, something that disrupts cash flow and interrupts planning. This Canada Post service cut, made without any consultation, is hurting companies like Rampmaster and its nine employees.
Will the Conservatives finally start to take action, or are they going to continue to allow Canada Post to damage small businesses, the backbone of our economy? Rampmaster needs an answer.
Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, what Canada Post is doing right now is addressing a very real situation it is facing. It is simple. There are going to be one billion fewer pieces of mail delivered this year than there were in 2006.
The reality is that the revenue numbers are not as high as they used to be, so Canada Post needs to react to it by developing a five-point plan. In this plan, it is putting forth a way to ensure that Canadian taxpayers are not on the hook for a $1 billion shortfall in the coming years.
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, the last-minute changes to funding for the fight against homelessness are having a considerable impact in communities.
A number of organizations may have to cut services. Despite what the minister told us, organizations such as Réseau SOLIDARITÉ itinérance du Québec have confirmed cuts, as have departmental officials.
Why does the government want to complicate the lives of groups that only want to help the homeless?
Candice Bergen ConservativeMinister of State (Social Development)
Mr. Speaker, the fact is there have been no cuts. In fact, we have renewed our homelessness partnering strategy.
What this is about is that the opposition is opposed to housing first, which is a process that helps those who are homeless and which is supported across the country. It is an evidence-based model whereby funding goes toward helping people get into a home and get permanent housing. It is called housing first.
I would encourage the opposition to do its research. We support housing first, because it helps the homeless get a permanent home and get help for their addictions and mental illness.
James Lunney Conservative Nanaimo—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, transnational criminal organizations use the Caribbean base in Central American as trans-shipment areas for illicit traffic in drugs, weapons, money, and people.
Illicit trafficking is a significant source of revenue for organized crime and a growing threat to national, regional, and international security, and therefore to North America and Canada.
As part of a multinational campaign to combat and prevent illicit trafficking, Canada has contributed significantly to Operation CARIBBE. Today HMCS Whitehorse and HMCS Nanaimo return home from participating in this operation. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence advise this House about their work in this important operation?
James Bezan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Nanaimo—Alberni for his support of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Today our government is proud to welcome home HMCS Whitehorse and HMCS Nanaimo from their successful deployment on Operation CARIBBE. Congratulations to the men and women on both ships for their excellent work in this mission to stop illicit drugs from hitting the streets in North America.
Our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces demonstrate leadership abroad. Their work is critical to the success of these joint operations. Taking part in joint operations with our allies helps keep illicit drugs from entering Canada and has a significant impact on the safety of our citizens. The Canadian Armed Forces made major contributions to Operation CARIBBE and stopped more than 5,000 kilograms of cocaine.
Bravo Zulu to the men and women in uniform.
Malcolm Allen NDP Welland, ON
Mr. Speaker, over 100 workers in Niagara were left without almost $3 million in severance and termination pay when Vertis Communications closed its doors after declaring bankruptcy in the U.S. instead of here in Canada.
It has been more than a year since the last Minister of Labour agreed to take a serious look at this situation, and yet these hard-working Canadians are still being left out in the cold with no money. Can the current Minister of Labour tell this House how much longer these workers are going to have to wait before they receive just compensation from the government?
Kellie Leitch ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, I have, on several occasions, spoken to both the employers and employees involved in this situation.
This is no longer with the Government of Canada. This is an issue that is being dealt with by a company that has become insolvent. We have spoken to the employers and employees with respect to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the actions they can take.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I asked the Prime Minister, in question period last week, in relation to the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whether given the evidence from Environment Canada that there is no chance, given current policies, whether the government will do other than have a 100% fail rate on the target the Prime Minister himself pledged to in 2009.
Is this administration, under the Prime Minister, committed to the pledge he made in Copenhagen?
Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, our sector-by-sector regulatory approach is working. It is part of our government's commitment to protecting the environment while keeping the Canadian economy strong.
Thanks to our actions, carbon emissions will go down by close to 130 megatonnes from what they would have been under the Liberals. This is equivalent to shutting down 37 coal-fired electricity generation plants, and we are accomplishing this without the Liberal and NDP's $20 billion job-killing carbon tax, which would raise the price of everything.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am so gratified to have a follow-up question, because this repeated nonsense about bringing down emissions by 130 megatonnes over what they would have been in some imaginary universe is not helpful.
The Prime Minister's pledge in Copenhagen was straightforward. It was 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. Environment Canada's data now says levels will be virtually unchanged from 2005 levels in 2020.
The question is simple. Does this administration have any intention of keeping its promise?
Colin Carrie ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of what our government's action has accomplished. Since 2006, our government has invested significant funds in more efficient technologies, better infrastructure and adaptation, and clean energy. We have taken action on two of the largest sources of emissions in this country, the transportation and electricity sectors. In fact, in the first 21 years of our coal regulations, we expect a cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 2.6 million vehicles per year from the road.
We hope that the opposition gets on side with these.
Dean Del Mastro Independent Peterborough, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Peterborough airport, which has seen over $50 million in infrastructure investment since just 2010, is my region's fastest growing economic driver. That said, as I have indicated many times in the House, its future is in jeopardy should the Sumac Ridge wind turbine project move forward as planned.
Despite federal protection of its airspace, in what could only be described as ideology trumping common sense, the provincial government, through its jurisdiction-related land use planning, has granted approval for the placement of a wind turbine in the approach path of aircraft seeking to land at Peterborough airport.
The City of Peterborough, the County of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes have all voiced their strong opposition. Can the Minister of Transport please indicate if she shares my concerns?