Debates of June 4th, 2014

Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

[Bal Gosal, Conservative, Minister of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his support for amateur sport.

Our government is the largest single contributor to amateur sport in our country with funding levels at an all-time high. In fact, the direct support to the Winter Olympians and Paralympians from our athlete assistance program have increased by 120% in the last decade.

Our athletes are a great inspiration and great role model for all Canadians, especially children. I would like to thank them all for coming here today and celebrating.

I call upon all members to celebrate our athletes.

Health

[Djaouida Sellah, NDP, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' approach to drug shortages is a dismal failure. The worst part is that the Conservatives voted against my bill, Bill C-523, which sought to implement an emergency response plan to address this problem.

When Health Canada stops drug production for safety reasons, rather than finding another supplier, the government does nothing. Who ultimately pays the price? Canadians.

Why are the Conservatives ignoring this serious problem?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the pan-Canadian strategy for drug shortages that we have put in place to address this issue with the provinces and territories and the drug companies ensures that drug companies not only have to give advance notice of any drug shortages they see coming down the pipeline, they also have to make sure that they alert us or physicians as to what drug can be used to replace that to make sure that Canadians are getting the medicine that they need.

As I said to the member yesterday, we are also launching consultations now to see if we do need to move from a voluntary system to a mandatory system.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not need to hold an online consultation to find out that the voluntary system is not working. All it needs to do is open a newspaper.

Today we see another story of hospitals in Quebec paying significantly more for the chemo drug Paclitaxel because there is a shortage of it.

The minister has said that if a voluntary system is not working, she will move to mandatory reporting. Will the minister finally acknowledge what we have been saying all along and now introduce mandatory reporting for drug shortages?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the voluntary system is working to a certain extent to ensure that those drugs are posted and that we are aware of what drugs can be used to replace them.

However, the member has to recognize that these consultations are important because not all drug shortages will be fixed through mandatory reporting. It can be a much more complex issue on a global scale in terms of the kinds of shortages that we have seen.

We are working very closely with the provinces and the territories and the drug manufacturers to make sure, whether it is voluntary or mandatory, we are addressing drug shortages.

Housing

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the housing crisis deepens, the Conservative government is turning its back on the most vulnerable Canadians.

The Conservatives are refusing to renew the long-term social housing fund, allowing $1.7 billion for affordable housing to disappear. Without this funding, 200,000 social housing units will be lost in a country where wait lists are growing longer every month.

Thousands of Canadians now risk losing their homes. How can the Conservatives explain their failure to act?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is our government has acted. We have acted in reasonable ways, working together with the provinces.

What the NDP does not realize is that made-in-Ottawa solutions do not work in places like Estevan or Vancouver, B.C. or Halifax.

What we have done is we have renewed our investment in affordable housing with the provinces. The provinces make the decisions regarding what works best for their housing solutions, working together with their municipalities and cities.

We will continue with that common sense approach, providing real results across the country.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada who are on Parliament Hill today calling for the government to renew these agreements do not feel reassured by the minister's stock answers. Without these agreements, 52,000 co-operative residents could lose their homes over the next few years. The solution is simple. The government must renew the subsidies and invest in new, affordable social housing.

A roof is a right. Why are the Conservatives insisting on ignoring the needs of so many Canadians?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, I recently met with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. I met with so many housing groups.

It was thanking us for some of the common sense changes that our government has made. What it was appreciative of, first of all, was the changes made in 2013 so that it could refinance in order to do repairs. As well, we are letting it keep its surplus subsidy fund, something that never happened under previous governments.

We are working together; we are meeting regularly. It is pleased with the things our government is doing and our common sense approach.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as co-op housing agreements expire, the rent-geared-to-income subsidies will as well.

Every time we have raised this question, the government answers that the subsidies do not need to continue because the mortgages will be paid off. That is not the case.

Most housing co-ops will not have the capital reserves to effect needed repairs and renovations, and will likely have to get new mortgages.

Therefore, since 50,000 people could be at risk of losing their homes, will the government do the right thing and renew the rental subsidies?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell the House what the executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, Nicholas Gazzard said with respect to what I just mentioned, allowing it to keep the subsidies. He said:

This additional flexibility allows co-ops to use federal funds to provide rent-geared-to-income assistance for vulnerable low-income households, even after their funding agreements have expired.

The mortgage is paid off. The agreements have ended. However, we are providing other solutions. Maybe the member could take “yes” for an answer.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that the government has very little respect for Parliament and that it rarely responds to our questions, and today is no exception.

Could the government actually answer our question for the 50,000 people who are at risk? Are the Conservatives prepared to renew not the agreements—because these people will have to renew their mortgages—but the subsidies? That is what the people who were on Parliament Hill at noon today were calling for, not what the minister said.

Are the Conservative prepared to renew the subsidies to ensure that these 50,000 people do not lose their co-operative housing?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, here is what our government has done for those who are the most vulnerable and those who need housing solutions. We have invested over $2 billion in previous budgets to fix and renovate. We renewed our investment in affordable housing with the provinces so that if they want to use that funding to provide assistance for these agreements that have ended they can do that. As we have said, we support the provinces and want them to have a say in how these solutions are determined.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Winnipeg resident Joyce Nakawunde is facing imminent deportation to Uganda. Not only will the deportation separate her from her 11-year-old Canadian-born daughter, as a lesbian, she will face threats to her personal safety if she is returned to Uganda. This is not only a result of the extreme legal penalties against homosexuality in Uganda, but also specific threats to her safety from the father of her child.

Will the Minister of Immigration take immediate action to stay the deportation of Ms. Nakawunde?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the most generous immigration and refugee determination system in the world. It has been reformed to focus its effort on those most in need of our protection. When the recourse available to those under the law has been exhausted, we expect them to leave the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the Conservatives to walk the talk on LGBTT rights.

Joyce Nakawunde is facing imminent deportation to Uganda, where we know homosexuals are persecuted. She has even received threats. The Conservative government promised not to deport individuals whose lives are at risk.

Will the minister put a stop to this cruel and dangerous deportation?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, our fair and equitable immigration laws are enforced very professionally. When a person has exhausted all recourse and avenues for appeal available to everyone under our laws, we expect that person to leave the country.

However, we also have ways to assess the situation in the country to which the person is being deported. That is always taken into account.

Terrorism

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is about the government's fight against international terrorism. This month an exhibit that is celebrating terrorism is on display right here in the nation's capital. It honours terrorists like Dalal Mughrabi and portrays her as a victim. The reality is that Mughrabi led a terror squad and bloody murderous rampage that left 38 Israelis dead. Thirteen of them were children. What is the government's position on this and other aspects of international terrorism?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, I recently saw the exhibit that celebrates notorious terrorists such as Dalal Mughrabi, Abu Jihad and Abu Iyad. Together, these terrorists slaughtered dozens of innocent civilians. As a minister for the National Capital Region and on behalf of the Government of Canada, I condemn this appalling celebration of terrorism in the strongest of terms.

Transportation

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the government's decision to cut $16.3 million from Marine Atlantic, but still require it to recover 65% of costs, has resulted in fares being raised by 11%. As a result, fewer people are making plans to travel to Newfoundland and Labrador this summer, so Marine Atlantic has cut the number of crossings. Tourism will be hurt and jobs will be lost.

Given how important the service is to the province's economy, will the Minister of Transport provide Marine Atlantic the resources it needs to reverse this harmful decision?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, this government is unprecedented in its support of Marine Atlantic, totalling $1 billion in the past six years in its costs, both in terms of capital and its operating costs.

We encourage Marine Atlantic to continue the great work it does of transiting people across to Newfoundland and, of course, making sure it does so in a responsible way, managing the taxpayers' dollars.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists told us that, as of April 30, TransCanada had to stop its seismic surveys in Cacouna. It was too dangerous for belugas, an endangered species.

Now the minister is refusing to ask these scientists to assess the impact of the next step, drilling, on this species.

Why does the minister want to allow drilling without checking with the scientists?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, DFO takes its mandate to protect marine life and habitat seriously. This work was reviewed by expert DFO officials, and it was determined that it would not result in any serious harm to protected marine life, including belugas.

Nonetheless, TransCanada is required to adopt several mitigation measures, including an exclusion zone. I understand that TransCanada has also decided to suspend work until provincial authorization is delivered.

The Environment

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is Clean Air Day. Canadians should be able to breathe clean, fresh, and healthy air today, tomorrow, and beyond.

We need to take action to avoid hospitalizations and emergency room visits, asthma episodes, and missed work and school days. Could the Minister of the Environment please tell the House what our government is doing to clean up the air pollution in Canada?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga for that great question.

Yesterday, we introduced new multi-sector air pollutants regulations. These proposed regulations will establish, for the first time ever, mandatory national emissions standards for major industries across the country. These regulations will help to lower smog levels and improve air quality for all Canadians.

This announcement builds on the promises we made two years ago to put in place a new air quality management system. Canadians can count on our government to follow through with its promises.