Debates of May 16th, 2014

Public Works and Government Services

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

Mr. Speaker, our government tries to ensure that tragedies like that do not happen again, especially on our watch.

That is why between the RCMP and DND, over 90% of the apparel that they source is Canadian made. We want to protect jobs. We want to protect people. We want to make sure that our forces get the equipment and the apparel that they need in a safe and responsible way.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

That is not good enough, Mr. Speaker.

The National Research Council of Canada bought $100,000 worth of clothing, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada bought $75,000 worth of t-shirts for its employees.

The Conservatives have no way of knowing if that clothing was made in factories that exploit workers. Sixteen federal departments have no idea where their clothing is manufactured.

When will the government lead by example and adopt a socially responsible clothing procurement policy?

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

Mr. Speaker, more than 80% of the clothing purchased by the government is bought for the RCMP and the Canadian Forces, and 90% of that clothing is manufactured here in Canada.

We want to protect the integrity of the procurement system and protect people from abuse, but we also need to provide the Canadian Forces with clothing at a responsible price.

Foreign Affairs

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the general election in India concludes, early reports indicate that these elections enjoyed unprecedented voter turnout. These elections highlight the maturity and strength of India's democracy and I can say we rejoice with the people of India as they embark on a new direction under the leadership of Mr. Modi. During his time as the chief minister of Gujarat, Mr. Modi made it one of India's best-performing states economically.

Can the parliamentary secretary please comment on the recent elections held in India?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Brampton West works very hard for his constituents.

I would like to congratulate the people of India on their recent elections, as well as express my thanks to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his role in strengthening the relations between our two countries. These elections serve as an example to the world of democracy in action.

Our government congratulates Mr. Modi on his win. We look forward to working with Mr. Modi to strengthen the social and economic partnership that exists between Canada and India.

Champlain Bridge

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister suggested that the Champlain Bridge could be transferred to the Government of Quebec. I can understand why he would want to get rid of that hot potato, but Quebeckers would much rather he finally show some openness and transparency, especially about the renovation and replacement timeline and the issue of tolls, which could really disrupt traffic patterns throughout the greater Montreal region.

When will the government stop operating unilaterally and show some respect for the people of the south shore on the Champlain Bridge issue?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, our government's position is already well known. The new bridge will be a toll bridge. The user-pay principle is fair because the federal government will be paying for a significant portion of the cost of the new St. Lawrence bridge.

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

Mr. Speaker, did he really say the “new St. Lawrence bridge”? There must be some mistake. The Prime Minister said that the federal government's involvement in an intraprovincial bridge is “not normal”. Those are his words, and I completely agree with him.

What is really not normal is a bridge owner behaving as though Montreal were his own personal village and not giving a damn about local elected officials who are asking for a solution that takes Montreal's reality into account. Renovating the existing bridge, building a new bridge and their absurd plan to impose a toll on a vital artery without taking the other bridges into account will have serious consequences for greater Montreal and the whole province.

Will the minister ever show some flexibility and prove that he is listening to people?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are working to deliver the new bridge as quickly as possible before 2018. Federal bridges in Montreal are a unique exception because they are neither international nor interprovincial. If the NDP team in Montreal did less party work and more political work, it would be very well informed.

Rail Transportation

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, for the third time in three years, a train derailed in my riding, an urban riding.

However, it took three days before the information was made public. It is clear that self-regulation is not working. Will the minister take action and force these companies to be more transparent?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, quite to the contrary, there is a robust regulatory regime in this country, and our government has taken a number of significant actions to ensure rail safety in this country. We have completed more than 30,000 inspections in the last year. We invested more than $100 million in our rail safety system, and we have important agreements on information-sharing with municipalities on the testing and classification of dangerous goods. I could go on and on, but all of these measures the member should be supporting.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he can go on and on, but the reality is that rail companies are not being transparent about these accidents. It took almost three days before information was made public about this most recent derailment. What is more, when the emergency crews arrived on the scene, they were turned away, even though one of the cars contained dangerous materials. This is unacceptable. The people of Jeanne-Le Ber deserve answers.

It is obvious that self-regulation does not work. When are the Conservatives going to take some responsibility and put the brakes on these runaway rail companies?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, again, quite to the contrary, the government has taken a number of very significant actions to ensure that the transportation of dangerous goods and rail safety in this country are ensured, actions that are consistent with recommendations from the Transportation Safety Board. For example, we are phasing out the DOT-111 tanker cars, something the official critic of the opposition says is the best thing that can be done.

That member should be supporting these important things, such as information-sharing with municipalities and between the FCM and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. I could go on and on, but those are measures that should be—

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order, please. The hon. member for Etobicoke North.

Foreign Affairs

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the UN warned last week that if the conflict in South Sudan continues, half of the country's 12 million people would either be starving, internally displaced, refugees abroad, or dead by the year's end.

The international community urgently needs to donate at least another $500 million if South Sudan's devastating slide into famine and humanitarian crisis is to be stopped. Will Canada attend the May 19-20 donor-pledging conference in Norway, and will it increase its support?

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development]

Mr. Speaker, we are concerned about the humanitarian situation in South Sudan. We are deeply concerned by the reports of ethnically targeted violence. Canada calls for the perpetrators of these crimes to be identified and brought to justice.

The government is providing lifesaving food, water, sanitation, medical assistance, emergency shelter, and protection for those in need. As in other situations, we will continue to monitor that situation.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the fighting in the Central African Republic has become more brutal, left thousands of people dead, displaced hundreds of thousands, and left 2.2 million people needing humanitarian aid. The children of CAR are witnessing terrible violence: maiming, killing. The number of children being treated for severe malnutrition in the capital has tripled since January.

Will the government provide peacekeeping support in line with our capabilities if asked?

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights]

Mr. Speaker, the other night when we had our debate here, in which the member participated, we expressed our deep concern about the situation in the Central African Republic and the situation there.

Canada has been contributing, and we will continue to contribute, to the United Nations for peacekeeping forces for the Central African Republic. I understand that the next batch of UN forces will be arriving in September, and as always, Canada has been contributing our share to United Nations peacekeeping.

Infrastructure

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the port of Trois-Rivières is essential to the region's economic development. The port authority wants to move forward with Phase II of the On Course for 2020 project. The federal government is expected to invest in this project to the tune of $11 million.

Can the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs tell us where things stand with this request? When will the port authorities get an answer?

[Peter Braid, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, what I find passing strange is that members of the NDP stand up in this place and inquire about and advocate for projects under a funding program that they vote against. What I can say is that this particular project has been submitted. We will assess it very closely, and what I am encouraged about is that municipalities in Quebec and across this country understand that they have a strong partner in the federal government to meet their infrastructure priority needs.

Homelessness

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to cutting the HPS budget, the Conservatives have decided to cut funding for preventing and fighting homelessness.

As a result, the Centre d'hébergement d'urgence de Terrebonne, the HUTTE, in my riding, saw its funding reduced by $70,000, a decrease of nearly 20%. This will have serious consequences for health and crime prevention.

How does the government hope to deal with the homelessness problem in Canada by cutting assistance for communities?

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development]

Mr. Speaker, we have championed a model to deal with homelessness called Housing First, and under Housing First, we have helped some 2,000 homeless Canadians with mental illnesses find stable housing. We are doing the job when it comes to housing.

The NDP claims to support affordable housing, but it votes against the home renovation tax credit. It voted against the first-time home buyers' tax credit. It voted against disability related home renovation construction and moving tax credits available for the medical expense tax credit.

Why does it not put its money where its mouth is and stand up to support housing across Canada?

Telecommunications

[John Carmichael, Conservative, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Competition Bureau provided a submission to the CRTC that has confirmed what our government has been saying, that Canadians want more choice, lower prices, and better service in the wireless sector. Competition lowers prices and keeps business from becoming complacent.

The Competition Bureau estimates that a fourth national wireless carrier could benefit consumers and add a billion dollars a year to our economy. Can the parliamentary secretary inform the House of what our government is doing to promote more competition in the wireless sector?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, our wireless policies are designed to benefit Canadian consumers. I am pleased to report that as a result of the 700 MHz spectrum auction recently, Canadian consumers will benefit from a fourth carrier in every region of this country.

In addition, Canadians will know that the costs associated with wireless have gone down by some 20% while at the same time, employment in this sector has increased by some 25%.

We will continue to put the focus on Canadian consumers. We will continue to put the focus on putting money back in the pockets of hard-working Canadians and improving employment opportunities across sectors.

Justice

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court hears its last case of the term next week, going an entire session without a full complement of judges from Quebec. Will the justice minister inform the House when he will name a new judge and by what transparent process? Will he commit to appearing with the justice before a parliamentary committee prior to any appointment?