Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2015

Aboriginal Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, the government works every day and every week with its aboriginal partners across the country to address the challenges that are present in many of these communities.

We know that the NDP measures the government's effort based on the tax dollars that have been invested. If we use that as our yardstick, we can see that since 2006, investments to improve life in aboriginal communities have increased significantly.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about levels of child poverty that are unprecedented in our country. This country is having an unprecedented conversation about systemic racism, and the only one that is not part of it is the federal government.

Internal reports from AANDC last week showed that first nations in Manitoba have the most challenging living conditions. People love their communities. They love where they come from, and they want to be part of making these places better, but they agree that conditions must change. Under the government, access to education, housing, and economic opportunities are below other first nations, and, of course, non-first nation communities.

Will the minister step up, acknowledge the systemic discrimination, and be part of the solution?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, our government believes that aboriginal people should have the same quality of life and the same opportunities as other Canadians. That is why we continue to take action and move forward on key priorities.

Since 2006, our investment in housing, for example, just in Manitoba, has resulted in the construction of more than 1,800 new homes. We have committed significant funds to Manitoba's water and waste water infrastructure. We have also made investments in education and job training, and we will continue that.

Persons with Disabilities

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is cynically trying to balance its budget by holding back money that is allocated to Canadians with disabilities. In previous years, almost every penny allocated to the enabling accessibility fund was spent, but last year the government lapsed more than a third of that budget. More shocking is where this small amount of money is going; almost three-quarters of the money is spent in Conservative-held ridings.

Will the government stop playing politics with some of Canada's most vulnerable people?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the enabling accessibility fund. We have funded over 1,800 projects across the country. Of course, projects need to actually be applied for in order to receive the funding, and the ridings and regions that have received funding are in direct proportion to the applications they have submitted.

We look forward to applications coming in from every corner of the country, from every riding, and to continuing to fund the enabling accessibility fund for people with disabilities.

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

Mr. Speaker, Quebec received only 7% of the funding available to renovate buildings to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Why did Quebec receive only 7%?

Is it because the Conservatives are allocating two-thirds or more of this funding to Conservative ridings, which are few and far between in Quebec? Is it because the Conservatives are neglecting Quebec? Is it because the Quebec ministers are asleep at the wheel? Is it for all of the above reasons?

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

Mr. Speaker, the proportion of funds that were allocated to projects are consistent with the applications received.

Let me give an example. In Ontario that particular year, there were a total of 1,092 applications received. In Quebec there were 206.

I would encourage all members to let their constituents, their community places know about the enabling accessibility fund. We are continuing to fund these projects, but I would encourage them to let their ridings know. Whatever their province they are from, those members of Parliament should help their community places know about our enabling accessibility fund.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, emails released to the Ottawa Citizen today show that on the day of the shooting on Parliament Hill in October, Canadian military leaders were saying that the event presented a “strategic opportunity” to affirm Canada's participation in the war in Iraq.

Subsequently, senior officials expressed the desire to appear alongside Ottawa Police at a press conference the next day.

These are emotional times for all, but would the government agree that describing the events on Parliament Hill as a strategic opportunity is regrettable?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said right from the start, we are in a battle with ISIL and the terrorists. They were the ones who declared war on Canada and her allies. We will continue to confront them head on.

I am proud of the job our Canadian Armed Forces is doing in Operation Impact. Whether it is the air task force or our special operations forces, they are aiding, assisting and providing the advice that is required by the Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish peshmerga.

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

Mr. Speaker, according to an email exchange obtained by the Ottawa Citizen, one of the Prime Minister's military advisors described the October 22 attacks in Ottawa as “a strategic opportunity” to affirm the purpose of the Canadian military mission in Iraq.

Does it seem normal to the government that on the day of the attacks in Ottawa, people in the Langevin Block were thinking about scoring political points and justifying the war in Iraq rather than focusing exclusively on the safety of Canadians?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I know the NDP is opposed to protecting the innocent people of Iraq who have been brutalized and terrorized by ISIL. We will continue to work with our Iraqi security forces and our allies in this coalition to defeat ISIL, and ensure it is not able to bring its brand of terrorism to us in Canada.

Public Safety

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, terrorism is one of the greatest threats facing society today. These barbarians from the so-called Islamic State despise the Canadian values of equality and prosperity.

Our Conservative Government has taken strong action to meet this challenge by joining our allies in military action to degrade and destroy the threat they pose, and by giving our security agencies the tools they need to keep Canadians safe.

Could the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness please update the House on legislative measures to combat the terrorist threat?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the international jihadi movement has declared war on Canada. Canadians are being targeted by jihadi terrorists simply because these terrorists hate our society and the values it represents, our values.

Jihadi terrorism is not a UN right. It is a criminal act. That is why, under the leadership of this government, we put forward the Combating Terrorism Act more than a year ago with no support from the NDP.

We are ready to revoke passports. We are ready to take action like removing dual citizenship to protect Canadians. There is no support from the NDP. We are standing up to protect Canadians.

Veterans Affairs

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the new Minister of Veterans Affairs tabled a progress report on government changes to the new veterans charter. It was so lacking, he slipped it out on a Friday night.

He still does not address the benefit clawbacks for the most severely disabled, the unfairness of the lump sum payout, caseworker overloading, nor the unequal treatment of reservists. His solution for the lack of help for spouses of veterans with severe PTSD, like Jenny Migneault, is an online app.

These problems were identified years ago. How much longer will the minister make our injured forces members and our veterans wait?

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, MPs from all parties on the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs worked together cohesively and they made a number of constructive recommendations. One of these recommendations was that the government update the committee on January 30, and that is exactly what the minister did.

He released a six-page letter in which he outlined the progress the government was making on recommendations. I am running out of time, but I will list one of them. One of the recommendations was to extend psychological counselling to the families of veterans.

On December 1, 2014, we extended the number of psychological counselling sessions available to family members of veterans.

[Jinny Sims, NDP, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of Conservative talk about safety, but not a single cent of new resources for the police.

A year ago, the NDP proposed a common sense Surrey accord that would put more police on our streets. A year later, violent crime in my community is up and the only response from Conservatives has been more cuts to the RCMP.

When will the Conservatives keep their promise to put more police on Surrey streets?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of the years we have increased the budget of our police by seven times, and seven times we did not get support from the opposition.

The real question is this. When will police officers get real money from the opposition instead of empty talk? They can count on us to provide the resources they need.

Health

[John Carmichael, Conservative, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week we heard reports of a marijuana home grow op located right beside a school in Markham. Parents are outraged that their kids keep coming home from school stinking of pot, yet this grow op continues to be allowed because the courts are standing in the way of our government's efforts to stop old Liberal programs that allowed grow ops.

Could the Minister of Health please update the House on our government's efforts to shut down these dangerous grow ops and protect families?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is for these very reasons that we have made tough new laws ending home grow ops for marijuana. Unfortunately, we are battling the courts with the delay.

However, as health minister, I am absolutely appalled that the Liberal leader actually has defended these home grow ops and continues to advocate for mass legalization of marijuana. When we legalize something, we normalize it and when we normalize it, the message to kids is that it is okay. It is not okay for kids to smoke marijuana. It is harmful for their health, and we will be the government that will continue to protect the health of kids.

Regional Development

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, the Conseil du patronat du Québec gave us lesson on how to lose touch with the regions. I should point out that the federal government has brought in austerity measures, such as the latest EI reforms, which have spurred the rural and regional exodus.

Do the Prime Minister and his minister not think that it is time to implement measures, such as the ones the Bloc Québécois has proposed, to target the regions and help create jobs, develop our communities and help these regions prosper?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic action plan for the regions of Quebec is present in all regions of Quebec. We are carrying out projects all across Quebec, by partnering with and supporting proponents. We are obviously aware of what was said by the Conseil du patronat du Québec, but Mr. Dorval has backtracked a little.

We believe we must continue to support economic development in every region of Canada and Quebec.

Public Safety

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear that I completely agree with every word in today's Globe and Mail editorial. I think every MP should read it.

This Parliament must not allow the Conservatives to turn CSIS into a secret police force. The words that are found in the definition of activities that affect the security of Canadians are so overly broad that I believe they could apply to almost anything.

Despite the inclusion of saying that it does not apply to lawful protest, would the minister tell us if this will apply to non-violent civil disobedience, such as that against pipelines?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, we live in a society of right. Any violence is going against the Criminal Code. Terrorism is a criminal act and those who go against the Criminal Code will meet the full force of the law. That is the country I live in and I love.

Housing

[Maria Mourani, Independent, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on January 8, members of RAPSIM, a social services organization, confirmed that the HPS's new focus on the housing first approach will be a major step backward when it comes to preventing and reducing homelessness.

Several organizations in my riding are concerned that Accès-Soir, a unique front-line service in north Montreal, will suffer because of this new focus.

Does the Minister of Employment and Social Development understand that homelessness is a complex phenomenon calling for a range of interventions, including prevention?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the evidence has shown is that housing first is the best way to eliminate and to help end homelessness. What we have done with our HPS is allowed flexibility so that some of the funding would go toward housing first but that there would be some funding available for the more traditional ways to address homelessness.

We believe that is the best way to use this money. As we have spent over $600 million to fight homelessness, we want it to be evidence based at the same time as allowing flexibility for different parts of the country to address homelessness as they see fit.