Debates of March 24th, 2015

Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, I am profoundly disappointed by my hon. friend, the parliamentary secretary. I asked this question on January 26. Knowing the amount of notice, I had expected that the response might at least treat the subject matter of my question. The point of these adjournment proceedings is to follow up on questions that are inadequately answered.

In the last four minutes, I am afraid to say that my friend has ignored the subject matter of my question, which is very specific and very urgent. Will the Government of Canada tender the promised intended nationally-determined contribution data to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change when it is due, which is March 31, next week?

It is all fine, well and good to hear platitudes about being committed to the convention, but the most important required step by any country really committed to this process is to tender the INDCs on time within the first quarter of 2015. Will we be doing it? Will the parliamentary secretary commit now?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be very proud of our record. For example, in Canada we have one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with 79% of our electricity supply emitting no greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada also became the first major coal user to ban the construction of traditional coal-fired electricity generation units.

We will continue to move forward with regulatory measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while maintaining job creation and economic growth.

Public Safety

[Maria Mourani, Independent, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for this adjournment debate to raise a question that I asked the Minister of Public Safety on January 30. It was my second question on the same subject. I told him that it was all very well to introduce law after law on terrorism, but that we should do something else. Not only do the Conservatives' laws violate people's rights, but they are completely ineffective on the ground. In any event, that is what I have heard.

I told the minister that these laws would not prevent young people from going to Iraq or to Syria. Quite the opposite. I see no additional support whatsoever. The government constantly talks about national security, but it has not given additional resources to the RCMP or CSIS.

Take, for example, the RCMP. I learned that this agency was asked to handle national security without being given the necessary resources to do so. In reality, that means that resources currently allocated to the fight against criminal organizations will be allocated to national security. Accordingly, the fight against organized crime, which is very important, is being abandoned. That is a monumental mistake. Instead of giving more responsibilities and fewer resources, the government should make more investments in national security.

The other important aspect is prevention, a word missing from the Conservatives' vocabulary. It is a difficult concept for them to understand. It is unfortunate that there is no discussion about prevention when it comes to fighting crime and national security. I give this government a failing grade on prevention.

Not a single cent has been invested in national security. Prevention involves public awareness campaigns and training. It also involves working on the ground with organizations, schools and so on. Once again, I would give the government a failing grade, unfortunately.

Research is another important aspect. Research on crime is extremely important, as it is in many other fields. The Kanishka research project was worthwhile, but the government decided not to renew it.

There are other great initiatives, like the Extreme Dialogue project, which is another prevention tool. This project still exists, but will it have funding to continue? We do not know. There is little research being done, and the tools we have now will not be maintained. The government is not doing any prevention and it is telling the police to handle national security without giving them a single cent more.

This government's policy on combatting violent extremism is a big fat failure.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we take the recruitment of young Canadians by jihadi terrorists very seriously. We are well aware that jihadi terrorists have declared war against Canada.

It is important to remember whom we are talking about. These are groups like the Toronto 18 and ISIL, people who are intent on murdering Canadians to drive their ideology forward.

Allow me to quote what Ontario Superior Court Justice Deena Baltman had to say about a terrorist who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for planning to join the Islamic jihadist group in Somalia. She stated, “Terrorists are the worst kinds of cowards because they deliberately target innocent members of the public who are not prepared for combat”.

The government is taking action to ensure Canadian families are safe and that our police forces have the tools they need to get the job done and stop people like this. Our approach to countering jihadi terrorism is clearly articulated in this year's Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada.

The first step in dealing with radicalization to violence is ensuring that families and communities understand the problem and recognize it when it is happening. Through the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, the government is working with leaders and communities across the country to detect problems early on, before they can lead to radicalization. This effort is helping communities develop strategies to take action against jihadi terrorism on their own terms. An underlying goal of these engagement efforts is to build mutual trust and respect between law enforcement and the community it serves.

It is important to reach a wide range of community members, including other law enforcement agencies, families, educators, health care professionals, and social services. Bill C-51, the anti-terrorism act, 2015, would provide a number of new tools that can be used in the countering of jihadi terrorism. These include a proposed new Criminal Code offence that would criminalize the promotion of terrorism. This new offence would provide an additional tool to counter radicalization through arresting and prosecuting terrorist recruiters and propaganda agents and would assist community leaders and family members in their efforts to counter radicalization.

Jihadi sympathizers, who are only too happy to relay this message of hate and have used platforms like Facebook to prey upon the young and recruit them to their hateful cause, are no less guilty than the goons of ISIL. This legislation would make sure that the law acknowledges this and that ISIL promoters are held accountable. As well, the new legislation would make it easier for the police to detain suspected terrorists before they can harm Canadians and give CSIS a new mandate to take action to disrupt threats to the security of Canada.

It is important to recognize the roles and responsibilities that we all have for preventing people from being radicalized to violence and criminality. This is not only a law enforcement issue. Each and every relative has a vital role in addressing the threat from radicalization to violence. Those responses must be based upon a real understanding of the issue on the part of all Canadians.

For such reasons, the Government of Canada is investing in research and the development of new and innovative tools to counter violent extremism through the Kanishka project, a $10 million initiative that is directly contributing to our implementation of the counterterrorism strategy. At the same time, we must also ensure that our security and intelligence agencies have the tools they need to investigate and, where appropriate, take reasonable measures to address threats.

I am confident our government has struck the right balance, working with communities to build their resilience to radicalization while enhancing the tools available to our security and intelligence agencies.

[Maria Mourani, Independent, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, fighting terrorism requires resources, not just laws. I have heard a lot about Bill C-51 from police officers on the ground who, until now, have been working with communities to identify at-risk youth. These officers have told me that Bill C-51 will interfere with their work and the trust they have built with these young people and their families.

Moreover, the RCMP does not have all the resources it needs. We cannot tell a police force that it has to handle national security without giving it additional resources. Resources allocated to organized crime will be transferred to national security, and that is unacceptable.

I would like to make another point. They talk about understanding the phenomenon and addressing it, but for that to happen, there has to be research. Research needs funding, not cuts.

To close, I want to say that it is fine for people to do some verbal sparring and talk about what they are going to do, but what really matters is taking action. That is not what we are seeing from this government.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are committed to keeping Canadian families safe. We are dedicated to ensuring that young Canadians do not become radicalized by jihadi terrorists and their sympathizers and that these agents of hate are stopped.

We will continue to work with communities and law enforcement to develop the tools and support that they need to intervene with people who are on a pathway of radicalization. We will also ensure that our security and intelligence agencies have the tools they need to respond to developing threats and keep Canadians safe.

Pensions

[Manon Perreault, Independent, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that the House will agree with me that the cost of living keeps going up. Whether we are talking about food, the cost of energy, or housing, the situation has changed considerably over the past few years.

Current banking policy, the real estate market and the concentration of wealth lead us to believe that the situation will not improve any time soon, while the value of our personal savings seems to keep falling.

In that context, a vast majority of Canadians are worried about the quality of life of their elders, their grandparents, their neighbours, or their colleagues who are starting to experience financial difficulties at an advanced age.

To experience economic uncertainty after spending a lifetime saving money for a comfortable retirement is a sorry injustice. In most cases, seniors' pensions are calculated at a strict minimum, which is often not commensurate with the services rendered.

The current government has not only failed to propose solutions but it is also failing to protect retirees' assets. With its measure on the age of retirement, the government is again pushing the tolerable limits in terms of how long people can keep working. Budget cuts will not help our retirees at all. The government must change the age of retirement from 67 back to 65. It must also improve the Canada pension plan and increase the minimum guaranteed income supplement.

I repeat: the cost of living is increasing and we cannot reduce the resources available to our seniors.

I am sure that no member here wants to see retirees live in poverty, and that everyone cares about the quality of life of seniors. We need to take concrete action, whether that means implementing appropriate and targeted tax measures, improving access to social housing or implementing any other effective measures.

In my opinion, the crux of the problem is the Canada pension plan, which does not provide seniors with enough support for a peaceful, dignified retirement that meets their expectations. This is a legitimate request that is quite simple in and of itself. We need to act quickly and correct the problem before all gains are lost.

A well-deserved retirement should remain an ideal to strive for and increasing the amounts granted is the first step in helping retirees to maintain their lifestyle.

The government promised to improve the Canada pension plan and the guaranteed income supplement, but it is slow to propose concrete solutions and to implement more humane policies in this area.

If this was just my opinion based on moral principles, we could discuss it at length. However, in this case, the opinion I am expressing echoes the views of many stakeholders who are familiar with the challenges faced every day by Canadian retirees.

Experts such as seniors' advocacy groups, unions and financial experts on pensions are clear. There is a definite consensus: we must improve the Canada pension plan.

It obviously goes without saying that the principles of sound management require an appropriate response from the government. We cannot stand by and watch the degradation of our seniors' quality of life. There are solutions, and the options available to us require greater use of our collective resources.

Given that it would be irresponsible and dangerous to take an ideological approach to this debate, here is my question to the government here today: what concrete action does the Conservative government realistically plan to take to help our seniors stay afloat? Also, could the government give us an idea of what sort of timeframes Canada pension plan recipients will have to face, since they are struggling to make ends meet, before seeing a substantial improvement in their quality of life?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, today I welcome the opportunity to address the question of the hon. member for Montcalm.

It is understandable that hard-working Canadians want their pensions to be protected. That is why our government has taken broad-based action to ensure that these benefits are protected and continue to be protected.

Our government understands the challenges that an employer's restructuring or insolvency can cause for employees and pensioners. The government has taken several steps to better protect Canadian workers when their employers become insolvent.

We have acted to improve the solvency of pension plans and the security of retirement income for Canadians, while avoiding measures that would have negative consequences for the Canadian economy and our shared prosperity.

For example, in July 2008 we introduced the wage earner protection program to guarantee that Canadian workers receive their unpaid wages of up to $3,400 in a receivership or a bankruptcy. We then took additional steps to expand the wage earner protection program to include severance and termination pay.

It is also important to mention that, in July 2010 and in April 2011, our government implemented important pension reforms to strengthen the federal private pension framework in order to benefit pension plan sponsors, plan members, and retirees.

These reforms have enhanced protections for pension plan members, reduced funding volatility for defined benefit pension plans, made it easier for participants to negotiate changes to pension arrangements, improved the framework for defined contribution plans and for negotiated contribution plans, and modernized the rules for pension fund investments.

Our government has also amended Canadian insolvency law to protect hard-working Canadians. Our reforms ensure that insolvent employers pay outstanding pension contributions to their employees' pension plans ahead of the claims of secured and unsecured creditors.

In addition, our government has undertaken a very serious and public discussion with Canadians on their retirement income, now and in the future.

Recognizing that retirement income issues have federal, provincial, and territorial dimensions, finance ministers set up a joint federal-provincial working group to conduct an in-depth examination of retirement income adequacy. Based on the working group's findings, it was agreed at all levels to proceed with analysis of options to improve Canada's retirement income system.

In December 2010, Canada's finance ministers agreed on a framework for defined contribution pooled registered pension plans. These plans will provide a new, accessible, large-scale, and low-cost pension option for employers, employees, and the self-employed.

Pooled registered pension plans are now available to employees in federally regulated industries as well as residents of the territories.

This is an important step forward in helping Canadians prepare for retirement. Pooled registered pension plans will allow many small business owners and their employees to have access to such a plan for the very first time. They establish a large-scale, broad-based, voluntary pension arrangement available to employees, including the self-employed.

Canadian pensioners have worked hard to build this country, raise their children, and prepare for their retirement. As a result of our government's actions, pensioners will have more choice and flexibility in regard to life, work, and retirement.

[Manon Perreault, Independent, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, above and beyond maintaining our seniors' quality of life and preserving the dignity of workers who retire, there is another economic factor that is important to consider when it comes to pensions.

When seniors become impoverished, our society as a whole is affected. If the purchasing power of a large segment of the population is diminished to the level of a subsistence income, many Canadians will have to absorb those losses.

Our economic system is built on a delicate balance that we absolutely must maintain. Businesses, services, the tourism and recreation industry—everyone suffers when the government goes after seniors' pensions.

Can the member give us a clear idea of the government's plan to stop this increasingly shameful situation from getting even worse?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our government's amendments to the Pension Benefits Standards Act in 2010 and 2011 brought Canada's pension regulations in line with international benchmarks and best practices. Therefore, our government has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting workers and pensioners and has taken concrete action to help them.

These changes, as well as our government's sound economic management, have coincided with significant improvements in the financial status of federally regulated pensions.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, federally regulated private pension plan assets increased by 10% between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014. Additionally, as of December 31, 2013, solvency positions of federally regulated pensions improved to 0.98%, up from 0.83% at year-end 2012.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:38 p.m.)