House of Commons Hansard #167 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was province.

Topics

Intergovernmental AffairsOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister thinks Atlantic Canadians have a defeatist attitude, but if he thinks New Democrats are going to stop fighting for Newfoundland and Labrador, he has another thing coming.

We know the promise the government made. There are documents to prove it. I have put a motion on the floor calling for the Conservatives to honour that promise. Will the Conservatives stand in their places and honour the promise they made, or will they once again betray Newfoundland and Labrador?

Intergovernmental AffairsOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Conservative

Rob Moore ConservativeMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)

Mr. Speaker, I was in this place two hours ago when the hon. member stood on his feet and said that his party does not know where it stands yet on the Canada-European Union trade agreement, an agreement that will benefit his province immensely. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes that CETA is of huge benefit to the province as well as to the fisheries.

Our government remains committed to a fund with Newfoundland and Labrador for transition, but we will not have a fund that will be a blank cheque that could be used to disadvantage other provinces.

Intergovernmental AffairsOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are breaking their clear commitment, creating confusion for our EU partners and jeopardizing CETA. That is no way to conduct trade policy in Canada.

If the Minister of International Trade does not think Newfoundland and Labrador should get a transition fund, he should not have agreed to it, but he did agree, and an email from his chief of staff and the facts prove it.

How can we believe any promise the Conservatives have made to any province if they are willing to deny the promise they made to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador?

Intergovernmental AffairsOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Fundy Royal New Brunswick

Conservative

Rob Moore ConservativeMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, our government remains committed to working out the details of the minimum processing requirements fund with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. We remain open to this transition initiative, but this fund was never intended to be a blank cheque that could be used to disadvantage the other Atlantic provinces.

The hon. member needs to consult with industry and consult with the province and realize that this agreement is of immense benefit to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, infrastructure supports our economy, and the Conservative government has failed to support our infrastructure. Let me give a real example. The percentage of roads listed in good condition in the city of Winnipeg has dropped to below 60%. It is at 58.6%, which is down by almost 7%. We need a government that is committed to investing in Canada's infrastructure.

Why is the government ignoring the need for infrastructure in the city of Winnipeg and other communities across Canada, which denies economic opportunity and hope for the future?

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Conservative

Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, we know from the past that the Liberals want to manage everything in Ottawa, on behalf of everybody. We do not manage the city on behalf of the city council. We work with it and support it.

In Canada, provinces, territories, and municipalities own 95% of public infrastructure. That fact did not stop us. As proof, we have put forward the largest and longest infrastructure plan: $75 billion over the next decade. It is quite a contrast with the Liberal years.

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Speaker, Canada needs jobs and growth now.

Statistics Canada tells us that in fact 65,000 fewer jobs were created last year than it previously reported. Our economic growth has not just stalled, it actually went into reverse last month, with a shrinking GDP.

Smart infrastructure creates jobs and growth today, and it builds a stronger economy to create more jobs and growth in the future.

Why have the Conservatives, during this period of slow growth, cut the building Canada fund by almost 90% for the next two years, back-end loading the next real increase to 2017?

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Conservative

Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Infrastructure

Again, Mr. Speaker, that is false. What he said is false.

Important project work, estimated at more than $5 billion in total project costs, has already been identified for funding in the new building Canada plan. We continue to deliver. We continue to support in partnership. However, 95% of infrastructure is owned by the municipalities and the provinces. They are investing two-thirds. We are there to support them.

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Liberal

Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Speaker, with a stalled economy, a weak jobs market, and low bond yields, now is the perfect time to invest in Canada's infrastructure. Everyone, from David Dodge, to the IMF, to mayors across Canada, is telling the current government that now is the right time to invest in infrastructure.

However, on Friday, when the premiers actually called for more federal investment in infrastructure, the finance minister called them “oblivious”. Does the minister think that the IMF, David Dodge, and Canada's mayors are also oblivious?

InfrastructureOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Conservative

Denis Lebel ConservativeMinister of Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, since we have been in government, we have invested strongly in the infrastructure of this country: the new building Canada plan and all of the components, for $75 billion. All of the components of the building Canada plan are available for transit. They can apply for any part of that.

I know when I was mayor, the Liberals massively cut federal transfers. They did not have infrastructure programs. That is the Liberal way. We will never go there.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, according to a secret report, the government knows very little about the toxic effects of the oil sands on our lakes and rivers. More research is needed on the effect oil has on the aquatic environment.

However, the Conservatives have made cuts to funding for research, they abandoned the experimental lakes and they cut funding for the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. Why are the Conservatives playing games with Canadians' safety and their environment?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission B.C.

Conservative

Randy Kamp ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that the responsible development of our energy resources is integral to Canada's economy, and oil and gas is an area of considerable study as we seek to broaden our scientific knowledge of the field. Through our responsible resource development plan, we are enhancing our world-class tanker safety system, but we are also doing additional scientific research on petroleum products to broaden our understanding of how these substances behave in a marine environment.

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, a federal report reveals huge gaps in the handling of oil sands bitumen spills. Nobody, not the National Energy Board, Environment Canada, or Fisheries and Oceans, knows how to deal with a bitumen spill properly. In the Arctic, the problem is even worse. Yet, the Conservatives continue to pretend that nothing is wrong.

The Prime Minister has gutted environmental laws and cut funding to that very research. When will they stop cutting the research that would help us to deal with these spills?

The EnvironmentOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Nunavut Nunavut

Conservative

Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, our government has made responsible resource development a priority. We have made significant investments and progress since we launched the joint implementation panel for the oil sands monitoring with Alberta. More areas are being monitored. There is more frequent sampling, and more contaminants are being examined. This is a transparent public process which has some of Canada's top scientists involved. Our government will continue to support Canadian jobs while protecting the environment.

Rail TransportationOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, CP Rail is using office workers to drive and load trains. We are talking about trains that could be a mile and a half long, with hundreds of cars and dangerous goods going through our cities. This is a huge safety concern.

Does the minister approve of CP Rail's method? Does she think it is safe and appropriate?

Rail TransportationOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Halton Ontario

Conservative

Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada's role is to ensure that there is a minimum qualification standard for locomotive engineers. We expect that CP and CN will train to those standards to ensure the safety of the operation of these trains. It is up to CP and CN to ensure that they are training to the acceptable standards needed for driving these heavy pieces of machinery. I expect that they will do so. However, if they do not, we will indeed inspect and ensure that they do this in an appropriate manner.

Rail TransportationOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Hoang Mai NDP Brossard—La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, keeping Canadians safe should be the government's top priority.

CP Rail is using office workers to drive trains, which may be transporting hazardous materials through our cities.

The government has learned absolutely nothing from its past mistakes. In 2007, CN was blamed for a train accident caused by lack of training for its staff. A manager was driving the train.

Does the minister realize that this poses a serious threat to public safety?

Rail TransportationOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Halton Ontario

Conservative

Lisa Raitt ConservativeMinister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the member is referring to the possibility that there will be some strike action at CP in the coming weeks. In cases where there is strike action, it is important for the House to note that Transport Canada will increase its field monitoring on these locomotives for this very purpose, to ensure that the people who are driving the trains are qualified to do so and that they are doing so safely.

We are on it. Transport Canada officials and inspectors are aware of what is going on. They are in contact with these rail companies on a daily basis to ensure that our trains travel safely in this country.

National DefenceOral Questions

February 2nd, 2015 / 2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB

Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the face of clear Russian military aggression. This is precisely why we have made significant contributions to NATO's Ukrainian assurance measures. Canadian fighter jets have conducted Baltic air policing. The HMCS Fredericton is assigned to NATO's standing Maritime task force, and Canadian Armed Forces personnel have conducted training exercises in eastern Europe.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence provide the House with an update on the latest actions that our government is taking to show Canada's support for Ukraine?

National DefenceOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Selkirk—Interlake Manitoba

Conservative

James Bezan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette for his continued support for the people of Ukraine. I am pleased to announce that today Canada will join the United States-Ukraine joint commission on defence reform and bilateral co-operation. This will significantly improve Canada's ability to provide assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces. Together, we will increase the capacity of the Ukraine security forces to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity.

In the face of this unacceptable Russian military aggression, Canada will do its part to support Ukraine, its sovereign territory, and the people of Ukraine.

LabourOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court just struck down a law that prevented Saskatchewan public servants from striking. The court reiterated that the right to strike is protected by the Constitution and that the government cannot arbitrarily expand the scope of what constitutes essential services.

Will the Conservatives acknowledge this decision and amend Bill C-4, which drastically restricts the right to strike and labour relations in the public service?

LabourOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Simcoe—Grey Ontario

Conservative

Kellie Leitch ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women

Mr. Speaker, the decision rendered by the Supreme Court last Friday focused on essential services legislation governing Saskatchewan's public sector employees. As such, it does not directly deal with the federal labour legislation. Our government is reviewing this decision. We will be moving forward in the future. However, as I said, this is about the public sector in Saskatchewan.

LabourOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Nycole Turmel NDP Hull—Aylmer, QC

Mr. Speaker, on Friday the Supreme Court recognized that the right to strike is protected under the Constitution. The Conservatives have shown a blatant disregard for the right to strike, even stripping it from federal workers with Bill C-4. That deal is nearly identical to the Saskatchewan law that the Supreme Court just ruled is not constitutional. Will the minister sit down with the unions and come up with an agreement, or will he waste tax dollars fighting to protect an unconstitutional law?

LabourOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Simcoe—Grey Ontario

Conservative

Kellie Leitch ConservativeMinister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women

Mr. Speaker, I meet regularly with both employees and employers. I receive their input on a wide range of subject matters. I am quite happy to say, yet again, as I mentioned earlier, that the Supreme Court came forward with its ruling. It is focused specifically with respect to Saskatchewan's public sector union. We are reviewing it. As I say, I will continue to work with both the employers and employees in the labour sector to make sure that we have a productive Canadian economy.

Aboriginal AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Niki Ashton NDP Churchill, MB

Mr. Speaker, this government has also abandoned aboriginal communities. Aboriginal people continue to face deplorable living conditions. They are often living in poorly insulated, overcrowded houses with no clean drinking water.

Departmental statistics show that nearly 25% of aboriginal children live in poverty in Canada, a G7 country. That is unacceptable.

What is the government waiting for? When will it finally take action?