Debates of June 17th, 2014

High School Graduations

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is graduation time in high schools across Canada and I want to rise to mark this milestone in the life of our young people.

First, I would like to thank our teachers: the teachers in Durham, Clarington, Scugog and Uxbridge for their dedication and mentorship to our young people.

I would like to congratulate the graduates on this achievement and wish them well as they embark on the path to college, university or the workforce.

I would like to highlight three exceptional young leaders from Durham: Mitchell Wootton, from Holy Trinity Catholic School in Courtice, winner of the TD Scholarship for Community Leadership and the Schulich Leadership Scholarship, an academic and peer leader, headed to engineering at Queen's University; Callen Hageman from Uxbridge Secondary School, winner of the prestigious Loran Scholarship for his academic and leadership potential, also headed to engineering at Queen's University; Keira Royle, from Clarington Central Secondary School, for her academic work and her advocacy for mental health with young people, headed to the University of Windsor.

Congratulations on these achievements and continue to strive for excellence in the future.

Sports on CBC/Radio-Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, while our athletes made all Canadians proud during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Conservatives' cuts may well compromise the media coverage of our top amateur athletes' performances by forcing CBC to cut its sports service to almost nothing.

May I remind the minister that participation in sports by young Canadians is at its lowest and that one way to fight the epidemic of obesity and physical inactivity among young people is to encourage them to be inspired by our greatest amateur athletes? By cutting this media coverage, we are preventing young Canadians from identifying with our amateur athletes, who are role models for living an active life and participating in sports.

The cuts imposed on CBC will jeopardize programs like Sports Weekend, which could have a huge impact on amateur sports coverage in our country. The Canadian amateur sports community is rightfully worried, and many of our Olympians have signed a petition to urge Conservatives to stop their attacks on our public broadcaster.

After all our athletes have done to represent us so well and with so much pride, the least we can do is give them the coverage they deserve.

Community Service

[Peter Goldring, Conservative, Edmonton East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to one of Edmonton's tireless community leaders.

Norm Aldi knows everyone on 118th Avenue, also known as Alberta Avenue. He has been a driving force in the revitalization of the avenue, helping transform a rather drab street into an architecturally designed cityscape of multicultural boutiques and ethnic dining, a delight for those who want to experience the breadth of Edmonton's cultural mélange.

A great Albertan and a proud constituent of Edmonton East, Norm has been instrumental in organizing the Eastwoodfest annual summer festival. He has been a director of the Alberta Avenue Business Association and president of the Eastwood Community League. Norm is sure to volunteer, whether It is organizing the successful Taste of 118th Food Festival or establishing an off-leash dog park.

I thank my friend, Norm Aldi, recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal for his years of community service.

Jack MacAndrew

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to the late Jack MacAndrew and ask the House to recognize his outstanding contribution to journalism and public affairs.

Born in New Brunswick, he moved at age eight and considered P.E.I. his heart's true home. Jack made his mark in broadcasting, print journalism, theatre and television. Starting first as a Canadian Air Force radio officer, he soon moved into the public relations and marketing field with CBC Maritimes. As a reporter, he covered the Springhill mining disaster, broadcasting to the world.

He wrote, produced and hosted several Canadian television shows and contributed to productions such as Anne of Green Gables and Johnny Belinda. His company, Jack MacAndrew Productions, based in Toronto and L.A., created many more.

A man of strong opinions, his column “The View From Here” was well known. Jack called it like he saw it and by doing so, he kept politicians and public figures aware and humble, always advocating for what he felt was right. He wrote without fear and spoke truth to power.

For Jack's wife, Barbara, and sons Shaun and Randy, our thanks and condolences. That is the view from here.

Women of Distinction Awards

[Wai Young, Conservative, Vancouver South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on June 3, hundreds of people from across Vancouver gathered to celebrate the leadership and contributions of women in our community at the 2014 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

For 30 years, the awards have recognized outstanding women and workplaces. Since 1984, they have honoured over 250 award recipients and more than 1,450 nominees. In addition to recognizing the nominees, this event highlights and raises funds for the programs and services that help improve the lives of more than 55,000 people each year from across metro Vancouver.

This year, it was an honour for me to join 59 other amazing women as nominees for this prestigious award. The Women of Distinction Awards provides an ideal opportunity for our community to recognize these outstanding individuals and their contributions. Without the dedication of these inspiring and motivated women, Vancouver would not be the wonderful city that it is.

Congratulations to the recipients and to each nominee. I look forward to continuing to work with them to build a stronger Vancouver and Canada.

Youth of the Month Award

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, across my riding, there are kids doing extraordinary things. They model the way not only for their peers, but for us. In recognition of what they do and in an effort to encourage them and to encourage others to follow their lead, I created some time ago the Beaches—East York Youth of the Month Award.

For the month of June, that award goes to the kids of DeSantos Martial Arts, who participated in this year's 140 kilometre walk from Toronto to Niagara Falls. It was a journey of self-discovery, but it was also a journey to raise money for both local and international school breakfast programs. We all know there are many kinds of personal journeys, but the best are those that lead us to others who need help.

A special mention goes to Marisol, Ayoka, Allison, Tristan and Victor, who, over four long days, completed the entire journey this year. For Kwan Jan Nim De Santos, Ma'am Toni and all of the instructors at the school, thanks for teaching our kids that a black belt is just a white belt that never quit.

Calgary International Airport

[Devinder Shory, Conservative, Calgary Northeast, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Calgary International Airport, located in my riding, is the third busiest airport in Canada, contributing $6 billion to the economy.

Last weekend, I joined 12,000 Calgarians to celebrate the opening of the longest commercial runway in Canada. This is the only runway in Canada that has a 100% eco-friendly LED lighting system. It will save 60,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is the equivalent to a saving of 41.3 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Calgary airport is an economic driver for western Canada, and I congratulate the Calgary Airport Authority on this historic milestone.

Before my time is up, I would like to thank all of my colleagues who supported the passage of Bill C-24, the strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, yesterday, especially our hard-working Minister of Citizenship and Immigration for including provisions from my private member's bill, Bill C-425.

Christopher Stanley

[Jay Aspin, Conservative, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our community of North Bay is in mourning. On a joyful Father's Day this past weekend, we lost 17-year-old Christopher Stanley in a boating accident.

Chris was a hard-working young man who had a passion for football as a Widdifield Wildcat and a passion for the outdoors. He had just returned from a 5-day canoe trip. This would have been his graduating year and his 18th birthday would have been this Friday.

It is a very painful and tragic event in which this young bright life was lost. He will be dearly missed by his classmates, his family and our community.

I have been moved by the outpour of support for Chris' family, as well as a profound sense of loss for him. Although his time in this world was brief, it was very clear that he enriched the lives of many around him.

I ask members of the House to please join me in extending our dearest sympathies and condolences to Chris' family. His life and spirit will never be forgotten. God bless Christopher Stanley.

Employment

[Dany Morin, NDP, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, no one can forget the Conservatives' employment insurance reform. It would be hard to come up with a more regressive policy. This unfortunate reform has weakened the economy in Quebec, the Maritimes and my region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, which is having a hard time getting back on its feet.

It does not end there. Every day, the Conservatives, who are the self-proclaimed job champions, are attacking the rights of Canadian workers and the gains they have made. They are attacking unions, labour-sponsored funds, the public service and local services.

Allow me to provide some examples. Bills C-377 and C-525 were sad attempts at overhauling labour relations in Canada.

Bill C-4, the budget implementation bill, was another opportunity for the Conservatives to quietly turns back the clock on decades' worth of struggles for decent working conditions and good jobs.

The cuts to Canada Post will further eat away at local services and wipe out quality jobs for Canadians.

In my riding, workers and unions are clearly saying that the summer will be hot and that the declaration of war issued by the members opposite will not go unanswered.

2015 starts now.

Jagat Uppal

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, North Vancouver, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the life of a prominent member of the B.C. Sikh community who sadly passed away.

Jagat Uppal, known as Jack, arrived in Canada in 1926 as part of the first wave of Sikh immigration to the province. Following his father's death, Jack left school at age 13 to help support his family and spent much of his time in sawmills, where he eventually became an owner and leader in the industry.

He used his experience to help fellow Sikhs get their start in B.C. and held an open door policy for anyone who needed help.

Not only was he a selfless boss, friend, father and husband, he was perhaps best known for his tireless fight for equality. Jack helped lead the charge in the 1940s to secure the right to vote for Indian settlers in Canada, which was finally granted in 1947.

This is especially poignant this year, the 100th anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident, for which our Prime Minister was the first leader to officially apologize on behalf of the Government of Canada.

On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to extend my condolences to the Uppal family and thank Jack for being a role model and an inspiration to all.

Summer in Compton—Stanstead

[Jean Rousseau, NDP, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this summer, there will be lots to do for those who visit my riding, the most beautiful in all of the Eastern Townships, Quebec and Canada.

Tourists will appreciate and enjoy Compton—Stanstead because of its lakes, rivers, mountains, and bed and breakfast establishments, and especially because of the people who live there. Some of the activities to enjoy are the 150th anniversary celebrations of Coaticook, which will welcome tourists with its cheese and famous ice cream; Expo Vallée de la Coaticook in August; the Comptonales, an agri-food fair in September in the picturesque region of Compton, where the wonderful Donabelle farm strawberries are ready to be picked; and the Raid de Jean-D'Avignon in East Hereford in July, which attracts 350 cyclists, as many as the people who live there. That is incredible.

Visitors can also watch the Perseids at the Mont-Mégantic observatory, walk the Sentier Poétique in Saint-Venant-de-Paquette, which is a real cultural jewel, and take in the agricultural fairs in Cookshire-Eaton and Ayer's Cliff.

By all means visit Quebec this summer and you will discover its distinctive character.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

[Scott Armstrong, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader is at it again, this time with one of his senior supporters, Marc Emery, a convicted criminal and drug dealer.

Yes, Mr. Emery and his followers support the Liberal leader's irresponsible campaign to make it easier for children to gain access to and smoke marijuana, a campaign which continues.

This Conservative government wants to help prevent children from using drugs. The irresponsible Liberal plan to legalize and normalize marijuana, which includes the Liberal leader smoking it while holding public office, is dangerous to the health and well-being of Canadians, particularly our young children.

The Liberal leader needs to get his head out of the clouds. Listening to the advice of convicted criminals and drug dealers is probably not a good place to start.

World Pride Celebration

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this month Toronto will have the honour of hosting the World Pride Celebration. My constituency of Toronto Centre will be at the heart of the festivities.

We can be proud this landmark celebration will take place nearly nine years after gay marriage became legal across Canada.

What better symbol of our decade of equality than our victorious premier, Kathleen Wynne, the Commonwealth's first openly lesbian elected head of government.

World Pride is a moment for us to redouble our work to support LGBT rights. Here at home, a particular focus must be LGBT youth, who are too often a target of bullying and disproportionately find themselves homeless and unemployed.

World Pride is an essential time for us to speak out about LGBT rights around the globe as well. Too many countries, ranging from Russia to Uganda, are turning back the clock.

LGBT rights are human rights. Canada must be both a world leader and a global haven on this crucial issue.

Arts and Culture

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on July 1, the audiovisual coproduction agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of India will come into force. It will allow producers and creators to combine their resources and expertise to develop audiovisual co-production projects contributing to the economies of both countries.

Canada takes pride in being a world leader in audiovisual treaty co-production. In the past 50 years, Canada has signed audiovisual co-production treaties with 53 countries.

In the past 10 years alone, Canada has produced close to 681 audiovisual co-productions, with total production budgets of close to $5 billion.

In 2012-13, Canada's audiovisual sector generated almost $6 billion to the Canadian economy and created approximately 130,000 jobs.

As always, this government strives to promote jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canadians are disappointed that the anti-trade and pro-carbon tax NDP cannot say the same.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

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

Mr. Speaker, the Peter principle states that, in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.

The Minister of Justice is a perfect example. After being minister of defence for years, where his disastrous management of the F-35 file forced the Prime Minister to take the department's chequebook away from him, he was catapulted to the Department of Justice.

In his new role, he caused a new crisis by appointing Justice Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court, which then asked him to step back. Yesterday, in the House, we had the perfect example of the confusion that reigns in the minister's mind. Showing his true colours, he started by pointing out how appreciated the talents of Justice Mainville will be in the Supreme Court. The only thing is that Justice Mainville was appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Feeling cornered, he tried to explain that the Superior Court of Quebec is sort of like the Supreme Court in the province, which luckily is as coherent as the remarks of the Liberal Party leader on a good day. With opponents like that, we can feel pretty good about ourselves.

It is a really sad day when the justice minister does not even understand the Canadian court system. If he is the best Conservative in the justice sector, it is no wonder that courts constantly turn down their legislation.

Royal Canadian Legion

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week thousands of veterans gathered for the 45th Dominion Convention of the Royal Canadian Legion, and Edmonton rolled out the welcome mat in its usual exemplary fashion. I was pleased to be there.

I was especially pleased that the Minister of Veterans Affairs attended and announced that our government will increase its funding from $120,000 to $240,000 to the Royal Canadian Legion for its veterans outreach and visitation initiative.

This money will increase the Legion's capacity to spend time with their veterans who are living in long-term care facilities. This increased support allows us to further enhance the care we provide veterans and further support the important work the Legion does every day.

Since being incorporated by a special act of Parliament in 1926, the Royal Canadian Legion has been a focal point for Canada's veterans to better the lives of their colleagues and to foster remembrance across Canada.

I would like to congratulate the Royal Canadian Legion on its successful convention, and extend our appreciation for its service in support of Canada's veterans and their families. I look forward to working together with them in the decades ahead.

Justice

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, section 98 of the Constitution Act of 1867 states:

The Judges of the Courts of Quebec shall be selected from the Bar of that Province.

In the Nadon case, the Supreme Court was very clear about what that means. It is a question of complying with the Constitution and upholding the rule of law.

The Prime Minister already promised the House that he would uphold both the letter and the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision in the Nadon case.

Why is the Prime Minister not delivering on that promise?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about the Supreme Court of Canada. This is about a judge who asked to be transferred to the Quebec Superior Court. That judge has an impressive record, and he has long been a lawyer in that province. I am sure that he will do a good job.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice made a telling slip of the tongue yesterday when he said that Justice Mainville's wealth of legal knowledge will be welcome at the Supreme Court, not the Quebec Court of Appeal.

We are not questioning Mr. Mainville's undisputed legal knowledge. We are questioning his eligibility.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he intends to appoint Mr. Mainville to the Supreme Court of Canada? Yes or no?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, at this point in time, there are no vacancies at the Supreme Court of Canada, and there is no ongoing process to choose a replacement for a future vacancy.

As I have said many times, we will uphold the letter and the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, he still will not answer.

First the Prime Minister ignored warnings from the Chief Justice about appointing a Federal Court judge to represent Quebec on the Supreme Court. Then the Prime Minister publicly attacked the Chief Justice, which is unprecedented in the history of Canada. Now he has made another appointment that violates a nearly identical rule, daring the Supreme Court to reject his appointment yet again.

Why is the Prime Minister starting a war with the Supreme Court? What can be accomplished by this?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, I categorically reject that. Before the leader of the NDP moves to yet another conspiracy theory, let me just outline the facts. There is no vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada at the present time, and there is no process under way to look for a replacement for an eventual vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada. I have said repeatedly that notwithstanding our disagreement with that decision, when it comes time to fill a vacancy, we will obviously respect the letter and spirit of the decision.

Natural Resources

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for three years, the Prime Minister has staunchly defended the northern gateway pipeline.

However, he was unable to get the support of the first nations, local communities and British Columbia residents who oppose this pipeline project.

We will soon find out whether the Prime Minister cares about the interests of Canadians or the oil lobby.

Will the Prime Minister listen to the residents of British Columbia and reject this dangerous, risky project, or was the decision made before the process even started, as usual?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that the NDP is ideologically opposed to all development of resources.

However, in terms of environmental evaluations, our government establishes independent panels of experts, examines their findings and makes safe decisions for Canadians and for the environment, in the best interests of our country.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the municipalities of Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert, and Smithers all say no. More than 130 first nations across B.C. all say no. Three hundred scientists all say no. The Prime Minister endorsed this pipeline publicly three years ago. No matter what evidence, how many people speak out, how many people stand up against him, he keeps pushing this project.

How can the Prime Minister deny that this whole process is a sham and that the decision was taken before the process even started?