Debates of June 9th, 2014

Public Works and Government Services

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

Mr. Speaker, that is just plain nonsense. We have put a pause on while we executed a seven-point plan to do an analysis of the options available to replace the outdated F-18s to make sure our men and women in uniform get the equipment they need to do the job we ask of them.

The net result has been a series of reports that were prepared by the RCAF and vetted by a committee of independent experts, who examined them to make sure any decision we make is based on impartial and fair information.

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

Mr. Speaker, sounds like déjà vu all over again to me.

The minister might not comment here, but Conservative staff seem quite willing to brief anybody else on the supposed content of this report. Another report released today documents the problems that the single-engine F-35 faces in Canada. The perils of operating a single-engine aircraft in Canada's north are well known.

Will the government take this into account, or is it hell-bent on continuing to ignore the problems and Canada's needs and move ahead on a sole-sourced procurement?

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should not believe everything he reads in the newspapers, especially when the source of some of that information is rather dubious. In fact, some of it even comes from well-known ex-NDP candidates. That is their claim to expertise on this issue.

We go for the facts. We are doing an impartial evaluation of the reports and the analysis done by the RCAF to make sure the decision we make is indeed based on fact and will provide the best equipment for men and women in uniform.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2012, the Auditor General sharply criticized the government's lack of transparency with regard to the F-35 procurement program. Parliament was not given any information about the cost, the risks associated with Lockheed Martin's aircraft, or even the projected industrial benefits for Canadian companies. Basically, we were asked to give Lockheed Martin billions of dollars without knowing what we would be getting in return.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to table in the House the F-35 report they have in their possession?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, no decision has been made about replacing the CF-18 fleet.

A group of experts has read the report and the analyses prepared by the Canadian Forces about all of the replacement options to ensure that the analyses are impartial and transparent.

When the ministers make a decision, it will be announced, and the information will be distributed.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is just as ridiculous the second time around as it was the first. The F-35 program has been through so many ups and downs that we cannot believe the government is about to make the same mistakes and sign the same blank cheque for Lockheed Martin.

Before the Auditor General dealt a death blow to the previous untendered procurement program, the Conservatives were secretive about everything. They were not even able to provide the real acquisition cost of each jet. As it turns out, their accounting has become even more creative.

Do they really think they can still buy 65 F-35s for $9 billion?

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

Mr. Speaker, our goal is to provide the Canadian Forces with the equipment they need to do their job. That is why we have asked the Canadian Forces for reports and analyses concerning replacement of the CF-18 fleet.

Once the ministers have read and analyzed the reports and recommendations, they will make a decision. Then we will announce the decision and release the reports.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' refusal to launch a bidding process and make Lockheed Martin guarantee industrial spinoffs will do nothing to improve the employment situation.

On Friday, we learned that the unemployment rate has ballooned to 7% and that 60,000 full-time jobs have disappeared over the past two years. I should also point out that it is the public sector, which the Conservatives have been attacking relentlessly, that has saved the Canadian economy from disaster.

When will the Conservatives take employment seriously?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, our government has achieved more in terms of job creation than other G7 countries. We lost 600,000 jobs, compared to eight million in the United States; we have recovered that and added more than 400,000 more, to a net total of more than one million.

We are doing better than most other countries. We are very proud of that performance, which is based on the sound fiscal policies of this government.

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

Mr. Speaker, what the minister does not mention in his facts is that the Canadian population grew by 1.6 million people over that same amount of time. Conservative economic policies are not even keeping pace with population growth, and they boast about it.

The reality check for this out-of-touch minister is that 7% are unemployed again in Canada. Almost 40% of those unemployed have given up looking for work altogether, and for young people the recession has never ended: unemployment rates remain the same.

Can the Conservative minister offer just one new concrete idea for those unemployed Canadians on how things are going to get better?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the member opposite is misinformed. One of the reasons the unemployment rate went from 6.9% to 7% was that more people were entering into looking for jobs. It is the exact opposite of what the member opposite asserted.

The fact is that we have an excellent job record. Individual months will vary, but the trend is clear. We are on the road to achieving our budgetary surplus. Our forecast for increased growth is continuing, and employment will continue to increase.

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

Mr. Speaker, according to the finance minister, a higher unemployment rate is better for Canada's economy and losing 60,000 full-time jobs in just the last 60 days is somehow good news for Canadians.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said that 95% of all jobs created last year were part-time jobs. Billions were given away by the government in corporate taxes without any strings attached or any known jobs created.

If the minister is out of ideas, how about a commitment to reversing his decision to kill the one program that actually worked? Will he commit today to reverse his bad call on killing the small business hiring tax credit, yes or no?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is rich for the NDP to be criticizing our government's record on job creation. New Democrats voted against every job-creating measure that our government has put forward, including freezing EI rates, providing certainty and flexibility to employers and employees, tax cuts for manufacturers to purchase new equipment and expand their operations, and $70 billion in stable and predictable job-creating infrastructure.

The NDP would instead introduce crippling new taxes on Canadian businesses and put a carbon tax on everything.

Foreign Affairs

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP would like to commend Australia for ratifying the UN Arms Trade Treaty last week. Once enforced, the treaty will curb the illegal trade of arms. It will save lives.

Only 10 more countries must ratify it before it becomes international law, but, sadly, Canada is refusing to even sign it. Will the Prime Minister follow the lead of the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Abbott? Will Canada actually sign and ratify the Arms Trade Treaty?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada already has one of the strongest export controls in the world. The ATT actually brings these countries to our export control standards.

It is important that such treaties not affect lawful and responsible firearm owners or discourage the transfer of firearms for recreational uses, such as sport shooting and hunting.

We will consult and we will act accordingly.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are starting to get fed up with the bogus excuses we keep hearing on this.

The arms trade treaty will have no repercussions on gun owners in Canada. In fact, even the United States has signed the treaty. Once in place, the treaty will help save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

When will the Conservatives follow Australia's example? When will they finally sign and ratify this treaty?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have just stated, Canada already has one of the strongest export controls in the world. This treaty actually brings countries up to our control standards.

As I stated, we will consult, and when it is appropriate, we will make the decision.

Employment

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government is doing far too little to enforce the rules of the temporary foreign worker program. There are only four companies on its blacklist, and none of those four is related to a case of abuse. What is more, the minister rejected the suggestion of his counterpart in Alberta to include the provinces in enforcing the rules.

Given the seriousness of the abuse problem, why are the Conservatives doing nothing?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, the member has it entirely backward. It was the Liberals that did nothing. They had no penalties. They had no blacklist. They had no enforcement. They created the general lower-skilled stream. This government created the blacklist.

He is absolutely wrong, and I will give him the example of the Boathouse Restaurant in Fenelon Falls, Ontario, which was put on the blacklist because of an RCMP investigation into human trafficking and abuse of workers. It is on the blacklist because of that, and I just approved more non-compliant companies to be put on the blacklist last week.

In terms of the provinces, I have written to them repeatedly to ask that they share information with us about abusive employers.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, you might remember there was no crisis.

Last week in western Canada I heard evidence of rampant abuse of temporary foreign workers. I heard that some resource companies were saving millions by demanding horrendous working hours with unacceptable lodging. I heard that unscrupulous immigration consultants in the trucking industry were selling labour market opinions and allowing gross exploitation of workers, luring them with false promises of permanent residence. All of this is illegal.

Why does the minister not lift a finger to address the incidents?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, it would take a Liberal to understand abuse. After all, it was the Liberal government that created the stripper program. This is not just some kind of a talking point; this is a reality. The Liberals actually systematically issued, every year, hundreds of work permits for typically easily exploited women from developing countries to come to Canada in an industry with close linkages very frequently to organized crime. When there was a public outcry about it, the Liberals defended the program. That is the Liberal track record. It is indefensible.

Natural Resources

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party stands firm in opposing the northern gateway pipeline. Rather than listen to the millions of British Columbians who were concerned about the risks of this project, the Prime Minister threatened and bullied them and then weakened environmental laws to clear the way.

Last week, the minister said that the project would only be approved if it was safe for the environment, but hundreds of scientists said that it was not safe, not on land and not on sea. Will the minister finally accept the science and reject this project?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the joint review panel has submitted its report with 200 more conditions. Projects, as we have said, will only be approved if they are safe for Canadians and safe for the environment. We are carefully reviewing this report and a decision will be forthcoming.

Privacy

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with each passing day we have another reason for not trusting Conservatives to protect Canadians' personal information.

Today, La Presse revealed that more than 2,000 census forms were lost. Canadians provided this information believing that the government would safeguard it. Even though this happened in 2011, they still do not know where this information has gone.

What is the government doing to protect the victims from identity theft in light of this new loss of personal information?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that Bill S-4, which is before Parliament, protects the interests of Canadians online.

I know my colleague has seen the bill because the member herself said about Bill S-4, “I welcome the proposals in this bill. This bill contains very positive developments for the privacy rights of Canadians”.

Bill S-4, the digital privacy act, was supported by the Privacy Commissioner Chantal Bernier. It is supported by Canadians all across the country who recognize the need to protect Canadians' privacy rights online. The member herself spoke favourably of the bill. I am disappointed to see her change of heart.