Debates of Feb. 20th, 2015

Natural Resources

[John Barlow, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we have an important opportunity to build on our record of responsible resource development while securing long-term security for all Canadians, which I think is particularly important for the people of my riding of Macleod. This is why our government is taking action to ensure that we benefit from the economic potential of our natural resources.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources update the House on the Prime Minister's exciting announcement yesterday?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Macleod for that question.

Countries around the world are looking to do business with Canada because it offers the best fiscal conditions for secure energy supply. Yesterday's announcement by the Prime Minister reaffirmed our government's commitment to promoting Canada's resources on the world stage through the capital cost allowance for the emerging LNG industry.

In contrast to the high tax-and-spend agenda of the Liberals and the NDP, our low-tax plan is delivering results for Canadians by creating jobs and economic growth from coast to coast to coast.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, over the coming weeks, there are about to be severe cuts to the shrimp fishery in northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador for the entire province. This coming Monday, there is a large protest scheduled by citizens on Fogo Island. Specifically, they are going after the last-in, first-out policy. Recently the provincial government, their fellow Conservatives, said that if this policy exists, the inshore fishery will be devastated.

Therefore, my question for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is this: Finally, will she eliminate the last-in, first-out policy and save our inshore fishery?

[Randy Kamp, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's interest in this issue. I can tell him that the minister is committed to balancing economic opportunity while promoting the sustainability of the northern shrimp fishery. Reductions to quotas are never easy, but our priority has to be sustainability.

The last-in, first-out policy has been part of this fishery since 1997, when it was introduced by the Liberal government. Under that policy, the new entrants received the vast majority of the new access with the understanding that if reductions were necessary in the future, the LIFO policy would be in effect.

It is our view that the terms agreed to previously need to be respected.

Veterans Affairs

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Quebec government confirmed that the Ste. Anne's veterans hospital transfer is a hundred per cent ready to go, and it will be transferred at the beginning of 2016.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs please update the House on the status of this project?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Edmonton Centre for his personal commitment to our veterans.

Our government continues to work diligently with the Government of Quebec toward a successful transfer of the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue veterans hospital while maintaining excellence in care for veterans in the language of their choice.

Contrary to what the member for Lac-Saint-Louis and his federal Liberal Party claims, our government is standing up for veterans and delivering tangible results. Veterans can count on our government to ensure that our veterans have the best care available and to continue to support our veterans in every capacity.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Claude Patry, Bloc, Jonquière—Alma, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the current Quebec government is hurting the regions by making ill-advised decisions to supposedly improve public finances, the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces continues to grow. Between 2009 and 2013, Quebec lost $6.5 billion in federal transfers.

Will the government stop lining its own pockets at the expense of Quebec and the provinces, and will it restore transfers based on people's needs?

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we are protecting transfers to provinces, and transfers for health and social programs continue to increase. The Liberals made drastic cuts to transfers to the provinces and the territories. We will never do that. We will ensure that every territory and province has the capacity to provide health care, education and other social services that families need.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Brent Rathgeber, Independent, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Maria Venancio was a Filipino temporary foreign worker who worked at a McDonald's Restaurant in Edmonton. In 2011, Ms. Venancio was biking to work and was struck by a motor vehicle, rendering her a paraplegic and therefore unable to work.

Under the rules of the temporary foreign worker program, as she is unable to work, she has no status and is currently facing deportation. Ms. Venancio has applied to become a permanent resident, but deporting her to the Phillippines while she is convalescent would seem to be inhumane and even un-Canadian.

Why will the Minister of Immigration or the minister in charge of border services not intervene to protect an extremely vulnerable temporary foreign worker?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that because of privacy laws, I cannot speak to the specifics of this particular case.

I will state this. Canada has one of the most fair and generous immigration systems in the world. With that said, we must ensure that we continue to welcome newcomers while respecting Canadian taxpayers at all times.

Public Safety

[Brent Rathgeber, Independent, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims to be cracking down on terrorists, and through Bill C-51, our security agencies are about to assume broad new powers. However, our security agencies lack the resources to carry out even their current mandates. Both the RCMP commissioner and the deputy CSIS director clearly told parliamentary committees last October as much, that a lack of resources makes tracking all extremists at all times simply impossible. Now we have learned that collectively, CSIS, the RCMP, and the Department of Defence have allowed $11 billion to go unspent and lapse.

In its zeal to balance its budget in an election year, does the government not understand that increased security powers without adequate resources is an exercise in futility?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, in actual fact, we have increased resources to our national security agencies by over one-third.

Just recently, this last week, we experienced more terror in the world, in Copenhagen. We have also seen attacks in Australia, recently in Paris, and of course here, on October 22. It is absolutely imperative, when we talk about legislation that is before this House, that we pass it to enable us to give the resources and tools to our security agencies to keep our national security and our citizens safe.

Democratic Reform

[André Bellavance, Independent, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government quite rightly decided to appeal the decision to allow people to cover their faces during the swearing-in part of citizenship ceremonies. The Conservative Party even started a petition to require people to show their faces during the swearing-in.

With just a few months to go until the election, the Canada Elections Act does not forbid veiled voting. I would think that voting is at least as important as a swearing-in ceremony.

Will the government keep the promise it made in the 2007 throne speech and honour the two bills it introduced subsequently? Will it say that veiled voting is not the way we do things here?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform]

Mr. Speaker, the Fair Elections Act requires all voters to show identification before voting.

As I recall, the Bloc Québécois opposed that requirement and the bill. It is interesting that the member wants people to show their faces without a piece of identification that can be used to confirm who they are. The Bloc Québécois really should start reading and thinking about its own contradictions.

Safe and Accountable Rail Act

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-52, An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act and the Railway Safety Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Foreign Affairs

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today signed by many Canadians from the Sherbrooke area.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to immediately use every diplomatic means necessary to ensure that Raif Badawi is released and reunited with his family, which has sought refuge in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Raif was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for creating an online program in Saudi Arabia.

The petitioners are joining with the parliamentarians in all parties who have already asked the government to take action on this case.

VIA Rail

[Philip Toone, NDP, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition today signed by hundreds of people from my area in eastern Quebec and northern New Brunswick who are calling for better VIA Rail service in our region.

The railway is in terrible condition. Service is declining and the frequency is diminishing. A lot of improvements are needed. We hope the federal government will listen.

Eating Disorders

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are serious mental illnesses that incapacitate more than 600,000 Canadians and can be fatal.

Petitioners call upon the government to work with the provinces, territories, and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive pan-Canadian strategy for eating disorders, including better prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support.

Agriculture

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition in the House today, signed by hundreds of residents of the city I represent, New Westminster, but also Richmond, British Columbia, and Delta, British Columbia.

These Canadians are concerned about increasing illegality because of seed patents that are being privatized. The petitioners are calling for Parliament to ensure that the Government of Canada and the House of Commons are committing to international aid policies that support small family farmers, especially women, and recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty; that they ensure that Canadian policies and programs are developed in consultation with small family farmers; and that they protect the rights of small family farmers, particularly in the global south, to preserve, use, and freely exchange seeds.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, in question period, I spoke of Fogo Island, and now I want to speak of Change Islands, just next door.

The people there are in dire need of a wharf for commercial reasons. They have a commercial opportunity presented to the island in the fisheries sector. Unfortunately, they cannot exercise this because of the dilapidated wharf they have. Therefore, petitioners are calling on the government to invest in this wharf to make sure that their island is sustainable. I have several hundred signatures here from the Change Islands and surrounding communities off-island on the mainland of Newfoundland.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-32, An Act to enact the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and to amend certain Acts, be read the third time and passed.

Victims Bill of Rights Act

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I believe there are still seven minutes left for questions and comments for the member for Gatineau.