Debates of May 5th, 2014

Health

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga for raising the importance of mental health support, and I want to thank him for all his leadership and the good work that he has done on this file.

As he knows, it was our government that created the Mental Health Commission to share best practices to benefit Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We invest over $112 million annually to support community-based health promotion activities for families and invest in projects in over 230 communities across Canada. These all contribute to the mental well-being of youth and families and are important elements for reducing the risk for mental health problems.

Canada-U.S. Relations

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative deal to implement FATCA in Canada will hand over personal financial information to the IRS in the United States, violating the privacy of up to one million Canadians and exposing them to aggressive fines and penalties. Experts have warned that this deal may not even be constitutional, but the Conservatives are rushing it through, once again burying it in yet another omnibus budget bill.

Can the minister explain why this complex bill must be hidden from proper scrutiny? Is it because he knows it is a bad deal for Canadians?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, FATCA has raised a number of concerns in Canada. The new agreement addresses these concerns, relying on the existing framework under the Canada-U.S. tax treaty.

The CRA will not assist the IRS in collecting U.S. taxes, and no new taxes will be imposed. In our negotiations, we obtained a number of concessions, including exempting certain accounts, such as RRSPs, RDSPs, and TFSAs, from FATCA reporting.

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

Mr. Speaker, I really do not understand the minister's attitude. Canadians deserve more information than that on the implementation of the Canada-U.S. agreement on bank accounts.

Financial institutions will now be required to identify which of their clients have American citizenship, in addition to actively monitoring their bank accounts off U.S. soil. Citizens want to know whether the agreement will apply to them and whether their personal information will be protected. At this point, we still do not even know whether the agreement is constitutional. This is a very complex issue.

We want to know why the minister refuses to take this agreement out of the budget implementation bill.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, without an agreement in place, our financial institutions would still have to comply with FATCA. This would have required banks to report information directly to the IRS, and deny basic banking services to clients. Furthermore, both banks and their clients would have been subject to a 30% withholding tax. With an agreement in place, this will not happen.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are helping the Americans target law-abiding Canadians, but they are doing nothing to catch the fraudsters who are breaking the law by abusing tax havens. Last year alone, tax evaders diverted $170 billion. Canadians abide by the law and pay their share of taxes, but friends of those in power benefit from the Conservatives' inaction. The Conservatives promised to take action in the latest budget.

Was the diversion of $170 billion part of their action plan?

[Gerald Keddy, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue and for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, our government has a strong record of combatting international tax evasion and getting tough on tax cheats. From 2006 to March 31, 2013, CRA has audited 8,195 international tax cases, identifying over $5.1 billion in additional taxes, taxes that are being collected. As well, economic action plan 2013 introduced a number of new measures dedicated to offshore compliance activities and an investment of $30 million over five years in support of their implementation.

Economic action plan 2014 proposes to do even more. Maybe that member should think about voting for it.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, $170 billion missing, and these guys call that getting tough.

Conservative economic mismanagement is damaging our economy and hurting Canadians. Household debt is at an all-time high. Over 1.3 million Canadians are still out of work, and Conservative mismanagement of temporary foreign workers is pushing down wages and taking jobs from Canadians.

Yet the finance minister still clings to his Kijiji economics. Kijiji: it is a great place to pick up a used bike, not so much for running a G7 economy. Will the minister finally denounce his reliance on Kijiji economics and start using facts for a change?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that unemployment is getting better in Canada. Nevertheless, there are sectoral problems, particularly in the natural resources area, where there are hundreds of thousands of jobs that will be needed over the next decades. There are regions in the country where there are skilled labour forces that companies need to fill. Therefore, it is critically important that we bridge the gap between the labour needs and the unemployment. We are doing that through our job creation program.

National Defence

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's earlier response regarding Master Corporal Wolowidnyk was simply shameful self-promotion at the expense of a wounded soldier. After attempting suicide over his impending discharge from the forces, the military offered the master corporal more time to transition to civilian life, but suddenly, that option is off the table. It seems like the minute the media spotlight disappeared, so did the government's commitment to him.

Will the government fix this flip-flop and treat Master Corporal Wolowidnyk and service members like him with the respect and the compassion they deserve?

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, our respect for Master Corporal Wolowidnyk and members of the Canadian Armed Forces could not be higher. In fact, that is why we have not only made significant efforts to improve the mental health and overall health of our Canadian Forces through enormous investments, we have also made enormous investments across the board. We have seen all sectors of the Canadian Forces receive the support that they need, that they deserve, that they continue to earn daily in service of our country.

I do not know why the hon. member, coming from the Liberal Party, would take issue with those massive investments we have made to improve the lives and well-being of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Veterans Affairs

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government had a real opportunity to make May 9 the day of honour for veterans of Afghanistan and their families. Unfortunately, the government's actions demonstrate that it thinks it owes the veterans nothing, fighting them in court, closing VAC offices, and denying necessary benefits.

Can the government explain to the thousands of veterans and their families across Canada why Friday's event is more about a photo op for the Prime Minister and not about veterans' sacrifice for this country?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this Friday, from coast to coast to coast, we will pause and remember those who laid down their lives in Afghanistan. Over 40,000 Canadians, service men and women, served in Afghanistan each day,making Canadians proud.

Thousands of schools, school boards, and teachers are on board with this particular initiative with the tribute. Municipalities right across our great country are making plans. I look to that member and the opposition party. Will you drop the politics and join in and pay your respects?

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

I would remind the minister and other members to address their comments to the Chair and not to other members in the House.

The hon. member for Ottawa Centre.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, unlike Canada, the United States has sanctioned key political and economic allies of President Putin, including Igor Sechin, the head of oil giant Rosneft, who, it turns out, has a large investment in Canada.

The question is, why are Canadian sanctions missing some big names that are being targeted by our international allies, and will the minister now support strong coordinated sanctions to support the people of Ukraine?

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

Mr. Speaker, as we certainly heard on Sunday, the Prime Minister announced further sanctions on individuals in Russia. This government has taken a very strong stand in reference to Russia's actions in Ukraine, and we have listed not only companies but also individuals that we feel are targeted. We will continue working with our allies to do more and to send a very clear message to the Russians that their actions are totally unacceptable to the international community.

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

Mr. Speaker, not only did Canada exempt a close friend of President Putin from Canadian sanctions, but it also has yet to suspend high-tech military exports to Russia, as our allies have done.

When will the Conservatives suspend exports of high-tech military equipment to Russia? When will they impose sanctions that are aligned with those of our allies?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said it very clearly. Let me quote what he said: “We will not shape our foreign policy to commercial interests”. In light of that, we have taken very strong sanctions against Russia. We will continue these sanctions against Russia. We do not expect any Canadian companies to break our sanctions against Russia.

Veterans Affairs

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has designated Friday, May 9 a national day of honour to commemorate the efforts and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform who served in Afghanistan. This Friday, we will all honour the legacy of those Canadian Armed Forces members who served, and most importantly, the families of our service personnel who had to bear so much while their loved ones were deployed.

Can the Minister of Veterans Affairs please inform this House about the Soldier On Afghanistan relay and how it will contribute to the events this Friday?

[Julian Fantino, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the participants in the Soldier On Afghanistan relay are truly inspiring. I am humbled by their ongoing determination and their courage.

The relay began at Canadian Forces Base Trenton and will carry the last Canadian flag flown at our allied headquarters in Kabul to Ottawa. The relay will soon reach the Royal Military College in Kingston, and I encourage Canadians to follow its progress on Twitter at SoldierOnCan.

On behalf of this place, I would like to thank Soldier On for the important work they do helping ill and injured members of our forces. We are truly proud of their work and the participants in the relay.

Transport

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the key components of Cape Breton's economic future is the further development of Sydney Harbour. Now that the dredging is completed, it is vital that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality take over ownership of the harbour bottom to bring us new business.

My question is to the Minister of Transport. We are waiting for this transfer. Ports Day is next week. As a fellow Cape Bretoner, will you be willing to come down and announce this so we can move forward?

[The Deputy Speaker, NDP, Joe Comartin]

I appreciate the humour, but again, I would ask the member to direct his questions to the chair.

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Yes, he should be ashamed of himself.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member. Indeed, we have embarked as a government on an ambitious agenda to ensure that we are putting in the hands of local communities those assets which are better managed locally. We have not gotten to the end of the process with respect to Sydney Harbour, but when that process is completed, I am sure he will hear about it from Mayor Cecil Clarke.

Canadian Heritage

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, a number of hosts of Radio-Canada news programs appeared on the program Tout le monde en parle to denounce the upcoming cuts.

The Conservatives claim that everything is fine, but their cuts have triggered an internal crisis at Radio-Canada. Not only will Canadians have to rely on fewer journalists, but essential programs like Enquête, which help flush out crooks who are close to power, will also undergo cuts.

Will the Conservatives stop attacking the ratings of our public broadcaster and instead reconsider their cuts, which are directly related to the current crisis and the quality of the content?

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

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the decisions made by Radio-Canada have nothing to do with the government's measures.

That being said, we are well aware of the role that Radio-Canada plays in Canadian society, and that is why, on behalf of taxpayers, we provide significant funding to Radio-Canada/CBC. It is up to Radio-Canada to decide how to run its daily operations. We have no intention of interfering in that.