Debates of Jan. 26th, 2015

The Economy

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we will not have a budget before April because of the current instability in the market. We want to have as much information as we can.

Canadians should understand that the implications of a precipitous drop in oil prices will have different effects on the economy. Everyone knows it is going to advantage people at the pumps, which should increase either consumption or savings. It will advantage manufacturing and transport companies. It will raise global growth around the world, but it will have negative effects on part of the economy. We are taking that all into consideration in planning the budget.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, last week the Bank of Canada cut rates, because the bank's priority now is jobs and growth, but the Conservatives' priority is a $10 billion income-splitting scheme that does nothing for jobs or growth. According to TD, income splitting will drive Canadians or the Canadian government $10 billion deeper in debt.

When will the Conservatives realize that their pre-election income-splitting scheme does nothing for growth, is unfair, and now is unaffordable? When will they scrap this $10 billion fiscally irresponsible scheme?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, this is a massive tax saving for families with kids to help them cover the cost of taking care of their children. We do not apologize for one minute for a package of tax relief and child care benefits that will support 100% of Canadian families with children under the age of 18. The average benefit will be nearly $1,200. Families with two kids under the age of six will be getting at least $3,800 in benefits annually.

We are proud to provide more support, because that is not the government's money. That money belongs to those working Canadian families.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, I guess it is that minister and not the Minister of Finance who speaks on behalf of the government when it comes to the budget.

On January 14, the Minister of Finance said that his budget projections accounted for the lower price of oil; yet the next day he said that the impact of the oil price was complex, and he postponed the budget until April.

Which of the minister's stories should markets and Canadians actually believe? More fundamentally, why is the minister creating instability when he should be strengthening the reputation of Canada in the world by introducing a real plan for jobs and growth?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the member of the opposition may not want to acknowledge that we have emerged from the greatest recession since the Great Depression more quickly and in better shape than other countries. We have half the debt of the G7 countries, on average, in relation to our GDP. We are growing faster than most of the G7 countries. Canadians are benefiting in terms of their net worth and in terms of their income, and we are able to sustain this international shock because we are in such strong fiscal shape.

Veterans Affairs

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we hope the new Minister of Veterans Affairs will not take the same path as his predecessors. Our veterans have been left out in the cold. They have been abandoned. They have been treated as though they were a terrible burden.

These men and women fought for us, and yet they often have to wait months or even years to access the health care they are entitled to.

Will the minister commit to taking concrete action to correct his predecessors' blunders, starting by reopening the Veterans Affairs regional offices?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise in this House as the Minister of Veterans Affairs. I want to thank the Associate Minister of National Defence and the two other members of this House who served in this capacity. I am the 31st minister of veterans affairs and I am the 13th who has served in the Canadian Forces. Daniel J. Macdonald and George Hees are illustrious names. In the last three weeks, I have been listening across this country to our veterans, to their needs. We will make sure we meet those needs now and in the future.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, for the record, he is my 11th minister in 17.5 years, and these problems still continue. However, I do congratulate the hon. member for Durham for his new post as veterans affairs minister. I also thank him for his service to our country.

Having said that, as a veteran and as the Minister of Veterans Affairs, does he now believe—because the Prime Minister and the former minister would not answer this question—that the Government of Canada has a social, moral, legal, and fiduciary responsibility to care for those men and women it asks to put themselves in harm's way?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote Sir Robert Borden to this House:

...That you need not fear that the government and the country will fail to show just appreciation of your service to [this] country....

Our support for our veterans, from Borden's time to today, is important, but we also have to meet the needs, the evolving needs, of our veterans. In Borden's day, there was no support to Sam Sharpe, in his own caucus, for mental injuries from war. I am proud to say that our government is moving mountains to ensure we address the mental injuries from service.

Foreign Affairs

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for years, we have seen human rights take a back seat under these Conservatives. Now, we have the case of Raif Badawi, a free-speech activist in Saudi Arabia, condemned to 1,000 lashes for making a website, and the minister waited until after he had 50 of those lashes before speaking out about his concerns over the flogging.

Members will know that Canadians expect their government to speak out loudly and clearly on human rights abuses, wherever they are.

To the minister, starting here, today, will you send an unambiguous message to the Government of Saudi Arabia that Mr. Badawi must—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please.

I just remind the hon. member to address his question through the Chair, not directly to the minister.

The hon. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Consular.

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular)]

Mr. Speaker, Canada does consider the punishment of Mr. Badawi to be a violation, a very serious violation, of human dignity, and we do continue to call for clemency in this case. The promotion and protection of human rights are integral to our policy, and we promote and protect human rights.

While Mr. Badawi is not a Canadian citizen, we will continue to make our position very clear, diplomatically and publicly.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this kind of lip service means nothing if no action is taken.

A woman in my riding is asking her government for help. If the government really cares about human rights, now is the time to prove it.

Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for creating a blog that Saudi authorities did not like. He has already received 50 lashes. How many more does he have to bear before Canada takes a clear stand on the matter?

When will the government finally walk the talk and put some real pressure on the government of Saudi Arabia to release this activist?

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular)]

Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear. We have made our position known, both publicly and diplomatically, through diplomatic channels. We have called, and continue to call, for clemency in this case. While Mr. Badawi is not a Canadian citizen, we still continue to call for clemency.

Manufacturing Industry

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week we saw how our government's strong support for manufacturing is creating jobs and generating economic growth in my community of Brantford and all across the region.

Meanwhile, the Liberal leader was busy turning his back on southern Ontario's manufacturing sector and on the hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on it. Many of my constituents were disappointed to hear the Liberal leader attack manufacturing

Can the minister responsible for FedDev Ontario update the House on our Conservative government's support for the manufacturing sector?

[Gary Goodyear, Conservative, Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)]

Mr. Speaker, southwestern Ontario's manufacturing sector is a driving force in Canada's economy, and our government is committed to helping these regional businesses and communities thrive.

I too was shocked to hear the Liberal leader say he has given up on southwestern Ontario's manufacturing sector. While the Liberal leader attacks and undermines this vital manufacturing sector, this Conservative government will continue to fight for these hardworking people, their families, and their jobs.

His comments are further proof that the Liberal leader is an economic novice who is completely incapable of managing Canada's economy.

Rail Transportation

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the program Enquête revealed that the report on the Lac-Mégantic tragedy was watered down.

The public's confidence cannot be restored by allowing such important decisions to be made behind closed doors. Canadians are worried. We need a public inquiry on the rail transportation of dangerous goods.

What is the government waiting for to take action?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, obviously our thoughts and prayers are always with the victims of that tragedy in Lac-Mégantic.

The Transportation Safety Board, we should also note, is an independent body that actually formulates its own analysis based upon the facts that they find in an accident.

What they found in this accident is that it was caused by somebody who was not following the rules, and the Sûreté du Québec is actually following up with criminal charges in this matter.

We have taken the report and recommendations of the Transportation Safety Board extremely seriously. We have responded on a number of things and will continue to work on this file.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since 2009, Transport Canada spending on transportation safety has dropped by more than 20%.

At the same time, the volume of oil transported by rail has increased by a factor of 27. The Lac-Mégantic tragedy laid bare the terrible consequences of Transport Canada's complacency. Allowing the industry to regulate itself and cutting oversight can lead to worst-case scenarios.

Why is the minister cutting Transport Canada's oversight funding?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

First, Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member should know, rail safety has not been cut at Transport Canada. In fact, it has been increased, and we take oversight extremely seriously.

Second, it is also important to note that safety management systems in this country are the way to go, and indeed the Transportation Safety Board has indicated such. It is a world renowned system.

It works very effectively in other transportation modes. It will continue to work effectively in rail transport as well.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to recent media coverage, Canadians are finally talking about the horrific levels of racism faced by indigenous people in cities like Winnipeg and elsewhere.

From health care to police protection to employment and education, indigenous people are too often treated as second class citizens. That treatment as second class citizens often has a direct correlation with government policy put forward by this federal government.

Instead of being part of the problem, will the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs commit to working with indigenous communities and Canadians to put an end to the racism that indigenous people in Canada face?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that aboriginal people should have the same quality of life, the same opportunities, and the same choices as all other Canadians.

That is why we continue to work and to take concrete action on priorities that we share with first nations and aboriginals, such as on economic development, good governance, skills training, and on advancing treaty negotiations and reconciliation, and we will continue in that vein.

Northern Development

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, indigenous Canadians want action, not rhetoric, and that is what we need to end racism in this country.

Speaking of systemic discrimination, let us talk about nutrition north. People in northern communities have been forced to root around in garbage dumps to find food, but instead of fixing the issues with nutrition north, the government has said that it is looking at alternative programs.

We are such a wealthy country, there is no excuse for people in the north of this country to look to the garbage dump for food.

Why is the government refusing to take immediate action in fixing nutrition north?

[Bernard Valcourt, Conservative, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, again, our government wants northerners like all other Canadians to have access to quality and nutritious food. As a matter of fact, and as the member cannot deny, the results are clear. Since the implementation of nutrition north, the cost of a food basket has gone down by $110 since 2011. Moreover, 25% more nutritious food gets to northern Canada because of this program.

In addition, the Auditor General has made recommendations that we have said we accept and will be implementing to benefit the program.

Employment

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that first nations on reserve have been excluded from Canada's job numbers. The government is flying blind when it comes to the real need for job training, a fundamental component of the Canadian economy.

Canadians are fed up with the Conservative government relying more on ideology than credible information.

Will the government close this unacceptable gap in employment statistics and stop making it up as it goes along on the economy?