Debates of June 4th, 2014

Privacy

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

Mr. Speaker, based on the way that Bill C-13 is constructed, which would enable the police to act with modern tools not only to enforce the existing law but also to enforce the new legislation that would criminalize the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, it makes no sense to split the bill. We have to not only protect the public through passing the legislation; we also have to enable the police to have the modern tools necessary to enforce that law.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives' nominee for privacy commissioner testified that even he is in favour of a parliamentary committee to look at the way that Canada's security intelligence agencies are overseen. This is something that the NDP has long called for.

Now that even the government's own hand-picked privacy commissioner is echoing our call, will the minister reconsider and agree to our proposal for a committee to make recommendations on how it can strengthen parliamentary oversight of the security and intelligence activities of the government while protecting Canadians' privacy?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, our country has robust organizations to oversee the agencies that enforce our country's laws, such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Its review committee includes former NDP members of Parliament and members of other political parties. Furthermore, the current Premier of Quebec was formerly a member.

It is important to have external organizations overseeing our agencies, and our country has some very good organizations.

Government Accountability

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives are refusing to release the results of a public opinion poll on prostitution. The poll was done four months ago, but it is being hidden until July.

Reforming our prostitution laws is a complex issue. Canadians expect their government to work in a transparent and thorough manner, so why is the Minister of Justice refusing to release this poll? What information is he trying to hide?

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

Mr. Speaker, cue the scary music. The reality is this is a very serious and complex issue, and that is why we have taken the time and made the effort to consult broadly. We heard from some 31,000 Canadians through an online consultation, one of the most comprehensive polls ever undertaken by the Department of Justice. There is other polling information available that will be released in due course.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable for the government to hide information on a subject as complex and sensitive as this one.

The Conservatives made public their online consultation on prostitution, which has serious methodology problems. Now the minister is refusing to disclose the results of a scientific opinion poll ordered at a cost of $175,000, which he has had for four months. As it happens, he was allegedly warned that some responses could contradict his position.

Why does the minister want to wait until the end of July to release this public poll? Will he promise to make it public before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights wraps up its study on prostitution?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government intends to introduce the new bill this morning, this very day. We consulted many groups and many people on this complex and serious subject for our country.

I invite my colleagues to study this bill and to comment on the issue and not the polls.

International Trade

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, StatsCan reported today that in April, Canada posted a worrying $638 million trade deficit. This follows last week's anemic first quarter GDP figure of 1.2%, well below the budget's 2.3% forecast for 2014.

To reverse this decline in exports and boost our stagnant economy, it is essential to secure Canada's access to global markets, so when will the stalled European trade deal finally get done?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in this House before, we were very pleased to conclude negotiations on an agreement in principle last October. We are now converting that agreement in principle into a legal text. It will comprise somewhere in the order of 1,000 pages, and we want to make sure we get that done in a way that reflects the agreement in principle.

However, it is pretty surprising to hear a question from the Liberal trade critic. I understand that the Liberal trade critic asked her first question in this House five months after she was first appointed to that position. On this side of the House, we know how important trade and investment are to our long-term prosperity.

The Economy

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal trade critic has more expertise on trade policy than the whole Conservative front bench.

Canada's economic growth is now slower than it is in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, and our job rate has stalled below pre-2008 levels. There is an opportunity, though, to improve growth—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Order. The hon. member for Kings—Hants has the floor. I would ask members who wish to answer the question to wait until the member is finished asking it.

The hon. member for Kings--Hants.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there is an opportunity, though, to improve growth, create jobs, and strengthen competitiveness. With low interest rates and the strength of Canada's pension funds, we could actually create jobs and growth while fixing Canada's crumbling infrastructure.

Will the Conservatives seize this opportunity, and will they start by reversing their 90% cut to planned infrastructure spending?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, once again the opposition is misleading the House.

This summer, when there is construction across the country and people will have to wait in their cars because of the work being done everywhere in Canada, they will remember that the Liberals tried to mislead them. There will again be construction all over the country this summer, and billions of dollars will be invested to upgrade our roads and bridges to ensure the safety of Canadians.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government has the worst record on economic growth since R.B. Bennett. It is now just 1.2%. Globally, 140 other countries are growing faster. Growth is not coming from consumers, because they are deep in debt; it is not coming from exports, because our trade balance is in deficit; it is not coming from business, because it lacks investor confidence, and in the public sector, the government has slashed its infrastructure fund by 90%, harming jobs, growth, and productivity.

Why do the Conservatives have this anti-growth agenda?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite remarkable to hear that come from the Liberal Party.

Our party has a low-tax plan for jobs and growth. We have created over one million jobs. Our economy is doing better than most countries in the G7 and our debt is one-half the average of the G7.

We are working toward a budgetary surplus, which we will convert into lower taxes for hard-working Canadians.

Ethics

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Michel Fournier, the former chief of staff to Jean Chrétien, was the head of the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited when he gave SNC-Lavalin a $130-million contract for the Jacques Cartier Bridge, but the RCMP allege that $1.5 million of that found its way into Mr. Fournier's Swiss bank account as a big fat kickback.

If members are wondering what Liberal prime ministers have in common with Conservative prime ministers, both have chiefs of staff who are under investigation by the RCMP.

Given the stink between SNC-Lavalin and Arthur Porter and SNC-Lavalin and the former Liberal chief of staff, does the government intend to change the way it does business with SNC-Lavalin?

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

Mr. Speaker, Public Works and Government Services Canada takes the integrity of federal procurements very seriously. That is why we introduced measures to ensure that individuals or companies that have been convicted of illegal activity cannot do business with public works. We put those rules in place.

In all cases where wrongdoing is suspected, we will not hesitate to fully assist the investigation by the RCMP or the Competition Bureau.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last February, the NDP called for an investigation into the latest Liberal scandal. We are pleased to see that the Conservatives have followed the NDP's sound advice. They should do so more often.

The RCMP is now investigating the $1.5-million bribe that was paid to Jean Chrétien's former chief of staff, who was nicknamed Zorro for some reason, when he was head of the bridge corporation. The bribe was related to a contract that was awarded to SNC-Lavalin. Can the minister tell us if the bridge corporation is co-operating fully with the RCMP to get to the bottom of this latest Liberal scandal?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, yes, the RCMP is investigating. We did not wait for the NDP to tell us about it. The letter Z is associated with rental cars in Quebec, however, so maybe this has something to do with renting satellite offices.

That said, I will not comment on RCMP operations. However, we are taking this matter very seriously.

Consumer Protection

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2011, Canada signed the G20 agreement to set up a complaint system for bank customers that is fair, accessible, binding and free from conflict of interest. However, the Conservatives have allowed banks to evade the oversight of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments and set up their own oversight mechanism. Many complaints have now disappeared into an administrative black hole, and the ombudsman's decisions are not being complied with.

Why has Canada not honoured the G20 agreement? Why has the government once again turned its back on consumers?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have a robust ombudsman for banking and financial services in place. It is objective, it is less costly, it is less contentious, and it works. In fact, it works in the vast majority of cases. It is a system that is the envy of the world, and it protects banking customers and investments.

[Glenn Thibeault, NDP, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, then it raises the question of why the government is allowing RBC and TD to walk away from the ombudsman and hire their own practices. It makes no absolute sense. The Conservatives are diminishing the bank ombudsman's powers. Once, though, once upon a time, the head of an investment dealers association told Parliament that the ombudsman should be at arm's length from participating institutions; should be simple, straightforward, and cost-effective; and should be uniform for all institutions to ensure the fair treatment of clients.

Now that CEO has a new job as the Minister of Finance, so does he stand by his own statement or has he forgotten about all of those words and is actually listening to the statements of the Prime Minister?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I actually didn't expect to be quoted at length by the New Democrats, but I am pleased to hear that they are listening to my words. I wish they would listen to many of the things that I have already said in the House about economic growth and about low taxes.

The fact is the banking system has an ombudsman, an independent ombudsman. The banks themselves have their own ombudsperson as well to protect investors. Then of course there is recourse to the courts. Canadian bank customers, including the seven million who are getting free banking, are going to be well protected.

Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today our government was proud to welcome our Olympic and Paralympic heroes into the House of Commons to acknowledge their efforts and to thank them for a job well done during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

After both Olympic and Paralympic teams placed third in the medal standings, can the Minister of State for Sport please tell the House how our investments helped Canadian athletes own the podium?