Debates of May 30th, 2014

Justice

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what would question period be without at least one question on the Supreme Court?

According to the Supreme Court Act, the three Quebec judges have to be selected from among the judges of the Court of Appeal or the Superior Court of Quebec, or among lawyers who are acting members of the Barreau du Québec. Quebec has been underrepresented at the Supreme Court for almost a year now.

Can the government confirm that the replacements for Justices Nadon and LeBel will be selected from among the candidates that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Quebec recommends to the federal government?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has had very productive meetings with Minister Vallée and the Quebec legal community. As always, we consulted a broad range of relevant stakeholders.

We have made it clear that we will respect the letter and the spirit of the Supreme Court decision. We are moving expeditiously to fill the vacancy created by Justice Fish at the Supreme Court.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

It does not sound like the government is going to pick from her list, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister of Justice said that he intends to appoint Justice Nadon's replacement before the summer. There are exactly 21 days left before the summer solstice.

Can the government tell us more precisely when Quebec can count on having the full representation it is due on the Supreme Court? Before the House adjourns for the summer, or at the end of the day on a Friday when no one is around?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, that member wants the minister to consult broadly with relevant stakeholders in the province of Quebec, which he is doing. We are moving as expeditiously as possible to fill the vacancy created by Justice Fish.

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

Mr. Speaker, have the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice learned anything from Judge Nadon's appointment fiasco? They politicize the selection process. They breach the confidentiality of internal deliberations. They reveal the contents of phone calls. They shamefully attack the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

My question is on the replacement for Justice LeBel. What will the government do to avoid repeating such a shameful and appalling debacle?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, if the member is looking for individuals who breach confidence, he perhaps should look more on his side of the House than on this side of the House.

The minister has made it very clear. He is consulting broadly with relevant stakeholders in the province of Quebec, including the Quebec minister of justice. We will move expeditiously to fill all vacancies on the Supreme Court.

Infrastructure

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

That is a shameful accusation that the member cannot sustain outside, Mr. Speaker.

When the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs launched the new building Canada fund on March 28, he said that the provinces and municipalities “may now apply”. Emphasis on the word “now”. However, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities website indicates that funding agreements with the provinces and territories have not been negotiated yet. Again, “not yet”.

How does the minister reconcile yesterday's “now” with today's “not yet”, which is jeopardizing the construction season? Last quarter, the construction sector posted its worst results in three years.

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

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, a new Building Canada plan is open for business. All the information the provinces and the territories require is all available on the website.

The process with respect to applications, with respect to provinces identifying project priorities, is exactly the same as it was under the original Building Canada plan, which has existed for the past seven years.

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, like many other municipalities across the country, is faced with an environmental deadline for the waste water treatment and other critical infrastructure needs, but to complete these processes, the Conservative government has not brought any money to the table.

We are well aware that we are into the construction season right now, and the Building Canada fund does not even have an application process in place. Why is the Conservative government letting down municipalities right across this country?

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

As I explained earlier, Mr. Speaker, the process is in place. All the information that municipalities, that provinces, require is on the Infrastructure Canada website.

The new Building Canada plan is open for business. In fact, many municipalities are already identifying their infrastructure project priorities, and just days ago we announced funding for an important transit project in Edmonton. We are getting the job done.

Privacy

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem to be having a hard time respecting Canadians' privacy.

The changes they are proposing in the budget bill would allow Canada Revenue Agency employees to transfer taxpayers' personal information to the police without a warrant.

Yesterday, the NDP proposed an amendment to create a judicial oversight mechanism, but the Conservatives voted against it.

Why do the Conservatives have so little respect for Canadians' privacy?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, the member should know that Bill C-13 does not create any new protection from criminal or civil liability for those who voluntarily assist law enforcement. It simply clarifies existing protections under section 25 in the case law.

I would suggest she take a look at that.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is no clearer example of Conservative disregard for the privacy rights of Canadians than their rush to hand over personal financial information to the American IRS under FATCA.

Last night, Conservatives even voted against an NDP amendment that would ensure compliance with the Charter of Rights and with the Privacy Act. They have refused to fix even a single comma.

Will the minister stop this assault on the privacy rights of so many Canadians, or are we just supposed to trust it to their hand-picked Privacy Commissioner?

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, under the agreement, financial institutions in Canada will not report any information directly to the IRS. Relevant information on U.S. residents and U.S. citizens will be reported to CRA.

The exchange of tax information between Canada and the U.S. is already a long-standing practice and is authorized under the Canada-U.S. tax treaty, which includes safeguards for the use of exchanged information.

The information on U.S. account holders obtained by the CRA will be exchanged with the IRS through the existing framework, an approach that is consistent with Canadian privacy laws.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was in Ottawa yesterday appealing to the government to help resettle Syrian refugees, and help is required. Nine million Syrians are displaced and 160,000 have died in this horrible conflict.

What can Canada do? We think Canada could do a lot more.

I want to ask the government very clearly, what is the commitment from our government to the request by Mr. Guterres when it comes to Syrian refugees? Are we going to do more? Will we accept more Syrian refugees? If yes, then when, and what is the process?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the fourth-largest donor to Syria for humanitarian aid in the world. Canada continues to have one of the most generous immigration and refugee systems in the world. We welcome one out of every 10 resettled refugees globally.

We are committed to resettle 1,300 Syrians by the end of the 2014, with 1,100 spaces allocated for privately sponsored refugees.

The minister did meet with the UNHCR commissioner, Antonio Guterres, on May 28, and highlighted how Canada is working to assist the world's most vulnerable population.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is all well and good, but it is not enough.

The international community is calling on Canada to do its part to help Syrian refugees. Nine million Syrians have been displaced and 160,000 have died. The High Commissioner for Refugees is asking for immediate help in relocating 100,000 refugees.

So far, Canada has done a very poor job of responding to this humanitarian crisis. The former citizenship minister did not even follow through on his commitment to accept 1,300 Syrian refugees.

When will the government shoulder its responsibilities?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we have begun to resettle the most vulnerable Syrians and are actively working to fulfill our existing commitments.

Since the start of the Syrian conflict, the member will be pleased to know that Canada has provided protection to over 1,100 Syrians. Canada has been a world leader in providing Syrians with humanitarian development and security assistance. If the member would read some of the things UNHCR commissioner Guterres said, I think she would be pleased with how the UNHCR is seeing Canada's contribution in this effort.

International Development

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to compel the world to pay attention to the issues that are very important to constituents, namely, saving the lives of mothers and newborns in developing countries.

Yesterday in Toronto, Melinda Gates lauded the Prime Minister for his powerful advocacy on behalf of people in developing countries. Under the Prime Minister's leadership, Canada has earned a global reputation for moving the world with compassion and action when it comes to women and children. The Muskoka initiative rallied the entire world around saving mothers and their babies.

Can the parliamentary secretary please update this House on Canada's actions on this file?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his question. It gives me a tremendous sense of pride in our government to see how the Prime Minister continues to rally global support in Toronto to save the lives of mothers and children.

Yesterday our government pledged an additional $3.5 billion over five years towards the Prime Minister's maternal, newborn, and child health initiative. These funds will expand on our existing policies and up our game in critical areas of immunization, nutrition, and birth and death registration.

This is good work, and Canada is making a difference between life and death, so the work must not stop.

Social Development

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, federal budget cuts have affected many adult literacy organizations. The cuts are hurting adult job-seekers with literacy problems, especially within minority language communities.

The Centre de documentation sur l'éducation des adultes et la condition féminine de Québec, Quebec's information centre on adult education and the status of women, will lose $400,000. Montreal's Centre for Literacy and the Réseau pour le développement de l'alphabétisme et des compétences, the literacy and skills development network, will likely suffer the same fate.

Why is the minister cutting funding from organizations that are doing extraordinary work to improve adult literacy?

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

Mr. Speaker, these organizations were informed three years ago that the federal government was changing the way it funded from core funding to project-based funding so that the money will actually get to people who need to learn how to read and write and improve their literacy skills.

The department is open for business. These organizations can apply and submit programs that are based on a project-based format. We encourage them to apply, and we will take a look at their applications. We want to make sure that people get the literacy skills and the education they need to improve their lives.

[Francine Raynault, NDP, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that the minister is ducking his responsibilities. It is not true that money was being spent on paperwork.

Literacy groups have developed essential pedagogical tools for adults. They are well established in their communities and have built a strong network.

Why is the minister scorning their expertise?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is not true. These organizations were informed three years ago that the way the funding was going to flow was going to be changing from core funding to funding actual projects that get to the people who need the literacy skills. We need to make sure that the money coming from the federal taxpayers supports people who need to learn how to read and write and improve their literacy skills.

We are going to continue to work with these organizations. We encourage them to apply. We are open for business. We want to work with them.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is the deadline to commit to making a pledge for the global partnership on education.

A quarter-billion children worldwide are not able to read or write, yet education is the single most effective way to reduce poverty. The GPE adds value to each dollar we invest.

Did Canada send a letter to indicate it would make a pledge, yes or no?