Debates of Sept. 15th, 2014

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, Canadians of all income levels have seen their incomes rise since our government came to office. They have seen their net worth increase.

The NDP is opposed to every measure to assist with that. Our government has removed from the tax rolls some 850,000 low-income Canadians, measures that were opposed by the NDP. Our finance minister just cut premiums to help small businesses create new jobs, a measure opposed by the NDP. Our government is supporting our energy industry, the single greatest creator of high-paying jobs, an industry opposed by the NDP. Our government is creating new markets for energy and agriculture, all measures opposed by the NDP.

Foreign Affairs

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree that ISIL is not only a threat to Iraq and Syria, but to the entire collective security of the world and of our shared values.

Canadians, through Parliament, should be fully engaged on this issue and Canada's potential response to it.

Does the Prime Minister agree that Parliament should debate this issue and will he participate in such a debate?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has already indicated, this is not a combat mission. However, just last week I and the Minister of Foreign Affairs were before the defence committee and the foreign affairs committee to discuss this.

My understanding is that Parliament in fact will be discussing this, and I invite everyone to participate.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, even economist Jack Mintz and small business champion Dan Kelly have criticized the Conservatives' employment insurance plan. They say that it is bad for economic growth and could discourage job creation.

Why do the Conservatives not adopt the Liberal plan, which is much more targeted and includes a break from employment insurance contributions for new employees?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party claims to support small businesses, but it is opposed to the idea of them saving over $550,000.

It is quite remarkable that the Liberals would actually stand to talk about this issue, having raised EI premiums to $60 billion, turned it into a slush fund and then used it for other purposes than for which it was intended.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the last government in fact reduced EI premiums 12 consecutive years in a row.

Canadians need a break from the $5.4 billion in job-killing EI payroll tax increases imposed by the Conservative government.

The scheme announced last week totally misses the mark. There is no link to job creation and it is capped, going only to firms with up to a dozen employees. If they go over that, they lose $2,200. That is an incentive to fire people.

Will the government simply provide a full EI refund to every employer who creates a new Canadian job? That would generate—

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of what we did with small businesses, which are the generators of employment in our country.

Over 90% of small businesses, of all businesses, would benefit: 780,000 businesses and $550 million over the next two years. This is precisely what we want to do: create more jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, a Toronto Star investigation has confirmed what the NDP has been saying for a long time: over the past six years, a number of Canadian pharmaceutical companies did not abide by laws regarding the safety of their products. What is worse, some of these companies are still allowed to sell their products, even though they willingly distributed defective medication. The complacency and lack of transparency at Health Canada is unbelievable.

How can the minister explain that the offending pharmaceutical companies did this under her watch and that they put the health of Canadians at risk?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, whenever there is a dangerous product identified, Health Canada inspectors act immediately.

In the case of a drug produced by Apotex, Health Canada inspectors asked the company to remove it from the shelf and it refused.

We now have Vanessa's Law, which would allow our government to pull products that would be unsafe from the market immediately.

I ask the member to ensure that has quick passage and we will be able to act when manufacturers do exactly what we are concerned about.

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, obviously there is still a pretty big problem.

When Canadians take a prescription drug, they deserve to know it is safe. However, now we know that drug companies are knowingly releasing defective drugs in Canada.

Instead of learning this from Health Canada, we had to hear it from the FDA. Health Canada refuses to release information on whom it monitors or what violations are found.

How can Canadians trust Health Canada when there is no transparency and how could transparency and monitoring have become so bad in our country?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member to not fearmonger.

She knows very well that Health Canada inspectors are professional. All of us recognize that nowhere is confidence and transparency more important than in the decisions made that affect the health and safety of Canadians. In fact, we just recently launched a world-leading regulatory transparency framework and action plan at Health Canada. We are just starting to post inspections of any pharmaceutical facilities and will continue to do just that so they are made public and available.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, the government's failed plans to replace Canada's aging search and rescue aircraft hit a new low with the news that the RCAF had to source parts from a 50-year-old plane on display at the National Air Force Museum.

It would be funny if it were not for the fact that Canadians rely on the Hercules and Buffalo aircraft to respond to thousands of emergencies every year. Though started by the Liberals in 2002, there will not be replacement planes in operation until 2019, at the earliest.

Does the minister simply expect the RCAF to raid other museums in the meantime?

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member was referring to was a mistake. When it was discovered, the RCAF took the appropriate measures.

That being said, this is the government that has delivered 17 new Hercules transport aircraft, 4 Strategic transports, and 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

How did the NDP vote? The NDP voted against all of these. Every dollar for the military is opposed by the NDP.

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

Mr. Speaker, both the Conservatives and the Liberals botched the bidding process to replace the CF-18s.

The process had to be restarted as a result of their improvisation, secrecy and inability to control costs. At this rate, it will be decades before we will have a new fighter jet in operation.

How do the Conservatives plan to replace the CF-18s? Are they going to ransack museums to find spare parts?

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

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

We followed a process to evaluate all of the options, and an independent panel looked at all of the evaluations. The minister is now examining these reports and evaluations. A decision will be made once that is complete.

Small Business

[David Yurdiga, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Athabasca, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the vital role small businesses play in the economy and job creation. That is why we are helping them grow and succeed with our low-tax plan.

Today, a small business earning $500,000 now saves $28,000 on their taxes. That is more money for entrepreneurs to spend on growing their business and hiring Canadians. We are not stopping there.

Could the Minister of Finance please tell the House what further actions our government is taking to support small business?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the newly elected member for Fort McMurray—Athabasca.

He is absolutely correct. Small business is vital for creating new jobs. That is why our new small business job credit lowers their employment insurance payroll taxes by 15%, and saves them $550 million over the next two years. Ninety percent of all companies, 780,000 companies, will benefit.

Unlike the opposition, we believe in putting more money into job-creating ventures.

Status of Women

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, almost a month ago, Tina Fontaine's body was found in the Red River. She was just 15 years old.

The government has a responsibility to help end the violence against indigenous women. Many have shared a social media campaign with the chilling slogan “Am I next?”

Today in Winnipeg, families are dragging the Red River to find the bodies of their loved ones. Canadians demand action.

Why is the government refusing to call a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women in our country?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, these are terrible crimes against innocent people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

The RCMP has said in its own study that the vast majority of these cases are addressed and solved through police investigations. We do not need yet another study on this topic. Some 40 studies have already been completed. We actually need the police to catch the individuals who are perpetuating these crimes and ensuring they are punished.

Now is not the time to get another study, another look by the lawyers. Now is the time for action, and that is what this government intends to do.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has decided to refuse to call a national inquiry because he does not think the disappearance and murder of close to 1,200 aboriginal women and girls is a systemic problem. Aboriginal communities and the provinces are unanimous in their desire to move forward.

Why are the Conservatives refusing this inquiry? Do they not understand that they are now completely alone in this?

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, these are terrible crimes against innocent people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

As I just mentioned, the RCMP has said in its own study the vast majority of these cases have been addressed and are solved through police investigations.

What I will say, and am very proud of today, is that our government is committed to standing up for the victims of these crimes and protecting aboriginal women and girls. That is why this morning I was proud to table an action plan to address family violence and—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Davenport.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, from indigenous women to refugees, the Conservative government seems all too happy to leave Canada's most vulnerable communities behind. First it takes away health care to refugees, something the Federal Court called cruel and unusual. Now it is trying to take away social assistance, letting sick kids go without health care, while their families are left penniless. Not only is this an attack on refugees, it is an attack on basic Canadian values.

Will the Conservatives do the right thing and withdraw this heartless bill?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the most fair and generous immigration system in the world, the most fair and generous asylum system in the world, but Canadians have no tolerance for those who would abuse our generosity and take unfair advantage of that undoubted world-class generosity.

By making changes to the system, our government is ensuring immigration is protected from those who seek to abuse taxpayer-funded health care, welfare and other social benefits. We have done this in reforming our immigration system in the past. We will continue to look at legislation in this place from the government, from private members, that goes in that direction to ensure a generous system gives value for taxpayer dollars.

[Sadia Groguhé, NDP, Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, under the Conservatives, Canada's reputation on the world stage is already suffering.

Canada has always been a welcoming country for immigrants and refugees, but the Conservatives are about to dramatically marginalize refugees by cutting their access to social assistance. They obviously have no morals.

When will the minister realize that Bill C-585 is a direct attack on human dignity?