Debates of Feb. 17th, 2015

Foreign Affairs

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the violation of the agreed upon ceasefire is completely unacceptable. For that reason, today I am prepared to announce that we will increase the number of sanctions against prominent Russian individuals and entities. Details will be released in the coming days, but Canada has already sanctioned over 210 individuals and entities. I am proud to say that we have the toughest sanction regime in the world in Canada.

This conflict will only end when Russia halts its invasion. We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine, as we always have.

Forestry Industry

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry industry provides good middle-class jobs in communities across the country, but the Conservatives have failed it. Dozens of sawmills have closed, throwing thousands out of work. Now the Conservatives are embroiled in another trade dispute, this time with China, over pulp that will further damage this important sector.

Government should resolve issues with major trade partners before they erupt into disputes that hurt businesses and throw workers out of their jobs. Why did the minister fail to sort this issue out before it became a full-blown trade dispute?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, this government has taken this issue to the World Trade Organization, where we will be pursuing Canadian interests standing up for our industry. However, there is no government that has done more for the forestry industry than this Conservative government.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Fortress Cellulose is the victim of predatory and discriminatory tariffs imposed by China on its dissolving pulp.

Despite the company's investments, there have been more layoffs in Thurso. The Conservatives did bring this before the WTO, but it has been dragging on for years and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

What will the minister do to quickly address the situation and reassure our workers?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, this government took the step of taking this dispute to the World Trade Organization, where we believe we will prevail.

This government stands up for the dissolving pulp industry as it does for the forestry industry more broadly. I will repeat again that there is no government that has done more for the forestry industry than this Conservative government.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Rathika Sitsabaiesan, NDP, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister told a private radio station that “a lot” of Radio-Canada employees ”hate” Conservative values”. Recently, his spokesman also wrote that it was difficult for him not to conclude that his “worst suspicions about Radio-Canada held true”.

We have seen in the past what happens to those who do not agree with Conservative politics. Why does the Prime Minister believe that CBC employees have to stick to Conservative values?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister gave this interview, he was talking about the people of Quebec.

I travel around Quebec regularly and I can say that what Quebeckers want is more money in their pockets so they can take care of their families, sound and careful management of public money and a balanced budget, the end of sentencing discounts for criminals who abuse victims, and the safety of our communities and our homes.

That is what Quebeckers want.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister dared to say yesterday that CBC employees detest the Conservatives.

We know very well that he clearly would prefer that our public broadcaster become his personal propaganda tool. However, his pathetic statement reminds me of those made by the Minister of National Defence, who previously accused our public broadcaster of lying all the time, and the Prime Minister's press secretary, who said that he had suspicions about the CBC.

Now that their contempt is on public display, will the minister finally confess that she and her government take malicious pleasure in sucking the life out of the CBC?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, that is false. The CBC receives more than $1.1 billion a year to do its job.

That said, the Prime Minister gave Quebeckers what they wanted: tax relief, direct benefits to families through tax cuts, action to combat jihadists, solid foreign policy and measures placing the rights of victims ahead of the rights of criminals.

They will continue to oppose; we will defend Quebeckers.

National Defence

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives refused for four months to provide Canadians with any information at all about the cost of the Iraq mission, so I asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer for help. According to the PBO, they then illegally “refused all PBO requests for specific data” on this mission.

Yesterday, the minister added insult to this secrecy and deception by slapping down a single cost number—no detail, no analysis, just an end run of the PBO's report released today.

Does the minister not believe Canadians have the right to be respected and to have real cost information on this important mission?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

It is an important mission that the Liberal Party opposes, Mr. Speaker.

This government committed from the beginning that we would release the costs in the appropriate and normal parliamentary method, which we have done. It will be tabled this week as part of the supplementary estimates C: $122 million is incremental cost associated with Operation Impact.

The real issue is why the Liberal Party has turned its back on decades of responsible internationals, and why a party that used to stand for national security is now standing against our efforts to protect Canadians in opposing the genocidal terrorist organization ISIL.

We are proud of what our men and women in uniform are doing to combat that organization.

Official Languages

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for official languages, if there is one in this government. Will this minister ensure that his or her colleagues set an example and comply with the requirement to communicate with the public in both official languages, including electronically?

To help the minister do his or her job, here is the list of ministers who do not respect bilingualism in their communications: the President of the Treasury Board; the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons; the Minister of Finance; the Minister of Industry; the Minister of International Trade; the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration; the Minister of the Environment; the Minister of Health; the Minister of Transport; the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; the Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women; the Minister of Veterans Affairs; the Minister—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order.

The hon. Minister of Official Languages.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, what the opposition member just said is ridiculous. The government routinely communicates in both official languages.

The member is talking about Twitter accounts. However, those are the members' personal accounts.

We take our country's two official languages very seriously.

Social Development

[François Lapointe, NDP, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, following the Delâge report on the tragic fire in L'Isle-Verte, the Quebec government announced that the installation of sprinklers would be mandatory in almost all seniors' residences.

Since the CMHC was involved in building and renovating assisted-living housing for frail senior citizens, could the Minister of Employment and Social Development tell us whether he has read the report and what measures will be taken to help the owners of seniors' residences cover the costs related to sprinkler installation?

These are seniors we are talking about, the most vulnerable members of our society. I would greatly appreciate a relevant answer to my question.

[Ed Holder, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology)]

Mr. Speaker, the provinces and territories have the option of adopting a model code or creating their own code. Ultimately, they are responsible for regulating the construction and fire safety standards under their respective code.

Health

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives voted to support an NDP motion to compensate thalidomide victims, they promised swift action. Now, months later, as deadlines pass, survivors fear the Conservatives will break their promise. Recently, the spokesperson for the Thalidomide Victims Association said, “Members are starting to fear it was all a façade”.

Thalidomide survivors have waited long enough. Will the minister today set a concrete date for delivering financial relief?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I met with Mercedes, the head of the thalidomide survivors association just last week again. I reassured her and confirmed to her that there will be compensation for the survivors and we are working very hard to deliver that soon.

She knows very clearly that she has my commitment and that we will be there to support them in the long term.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Daryl Kramp, Conservative, Prince Edward—Hastings, ON]

Mr. Speaker, before Bill C-31, CRA officials were inexplicably prohibited from passing along evidence of serious criminal activity, uncovered on the job, to relevant law enforcement agencies. Clearly, this was and is unacceptable.

Can the Minister of National Revenue today please explain to this House why this change was necessary and how it is consistent with our government's commitment to protecting Canadians?

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, there have been occasions when CRA officials, in the course of their ordinary duties, have uncovered evidence of drug trafficking, terrorism, child pornography, and even contracts for the commission of murder and have been restricted from conveying this information to law enforcement.

When CRA officials uncover such evidence of serious criminal activity, they should be able to share it with law enforcement. I think that is what everyone expects, and certainly thanks to our government, that will now be the case.

I find it shocking that both the Liberals and NDP voted against this.

Official Languages

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, despite the superhuman efforts made by the Acadian community of Nova Scotia, it is no longer able to do more with less. It has reached a tipping point.

Why is the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages abandoning this community? The minister herself has acknowledged that the Acadian federation has done an exemplary job managing its resources. Can the minister at least commit to finding additional funding to better support Nova Scotia's Acadian community?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we take official languages and official language minority communities very seriously. That is why we have a roadmap with $1.1 billon in funding. This is a record investment made by our government.

We will continue to build on these efforts and to support our friends in Canada's francophone communities.

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

Mr. Speaker, the National Energy Board's failure to respect the French language regarding the energy east project is unacceptable. Last November, the NDP even filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Official Languages about this.

It seems that a significant part of the 30,000 pages that TransCanada submitted to the board are still not available in French, even though a large part of the route would go through Quebec. People who own farmland, as well as municipalities in Quebec, feel cheated.

Does the minister find the National Energy Board's contempt for Canada's francophones to be acceptable?

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

Mr. Speaker, the National Energy Board has fulfilled its requirements under the Official Languages Act.

Any documents produced by the National Energy Board must be published in both official languages. Questions related to documents filed by the applicant should be directed toward the project proponent.

Taxation

[Joe Daniel, Conservative, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that Canadian families know best how to spend their money.

This is a fundamental difference between our party and the Liberals and NDP. That is why our government has taken real action to reduce taxes on Canadian families, including family tax cuts and the enhanced universal child care benefit.

Can the Minister of State for Social Development please update this House on our government's initiatives to put more money in the pockets of Canadian families?