Debates of April 27th, 2015

Health

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for his great work on the subject. As a practising pediatric surgeon, I say with confidence that marijuana is an illegal drug for a reason. It has serious and lasting health effects, particularly on children, including schizophrenia and psychosis.

Our government does not support making access to illegal drugs easier, and the Minister of Health has made this clear to the mayor of Vancouver.

Unlike the Liberal leader, who wants to make smoking marijuana a normal everyday activity and have marijuana available in stores, like alcohol and cigarettes, this Conservative government wants to stop children from smoking marijuana. Storefronts selling marijuana are illegal. Under our government, they will remain illegal, and we expect—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour.

Employment Insurance

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

Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance program no longer meets the needs of Quebeckers and is having a negative impact on all of Quebec's regions. The latest federal budget does nothing for the development of our regions, nor does it offer anything to improve jobs there. The federal government would rather help itself to $8.2 billion over two years from the EI fund to finance the increased TFSA limit and income splitting instead of improving the lives of unemployed workers.

Is that the federal government's new social policy: stealing from the poor to give to the rich?

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

Mr. Speaker, that is not true. The hon. member needs to get his facts straight. During the recession we had to subsidize the EI fund. The fund is now reimbursing taxpayers.

However, we will lower EI premiums by 21% in 2017. This will give small businesses access to more money to hire employees and will put more money in workers' pockets.

Natural Resources

[Jean-François Fortin, Forces et Démocratie, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when Ottawa claims that the National Energy Board, which is reviewing the energy east pipeline, is a neutral agency, we have our doubts. The board refuses to get documents translated into French, and its lawyer declared before the courts that: “Pipeline projects are generally advantageous for Canadians and energy east is no exception.”

People are already concerned about what might happen with the pipeline. Now they have to be wary of the board's bias in assessing the project.

Will the government put an end to this sham and amend the legislation in order to prevent the board from becoming the oil companies' puppet?

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, the National Energy Board has fulfilled its obligations under the Official Languages Act. All of the 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 to the project proponent.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, Thursday is tax filing day. While April 30 is always painful for Canadians who owe taxes, with more than 120 different federal tax credits, filing has become so complicated experts believe that filers are missing out on hundreds of dollars owing to them. Moreover, the Fraser Institute states that Canadians are spending $6 billion in tax compliance costs.

Rather than forcing Canadians to either hire accountants and tax lawyers or spend hours themselves searching for tax credits, why not simply reduce the tax rates for all Canadians?

Does the government not believe that a simplified tax code and broad-based tax relief is preferable to make-work projects for tax lawyers and accountants?

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that our Conservative government has numerous steps to simplify the tax system, but more important, we have reduced taxes for the middle class. Shamefully, the opposition has voted against all those measures.

Our low-tax plan is putting $6,600 back into the pockets of the average family of four, but we know that the opposition wants to reduce that. It wants high taxes on the middle class, high taxes on middle-class families, high taxes on middle-class seniors, high taxes on middle-class consumers.

We are the government that will keep taxes low. Canadians know they are better off with this Conservative government.

Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the government on finally balancing a budget after seven unsuccessful attempts. However, budget 2015 still contains questionable industrial subsidies, such as the $100 million allocation to the automotive supplier innovation program.

When will the government learn that industrial subsidies, special treatment for some industries but not others, picking winners and losers, and corporate welfare do not constitute true conservative fiscal policy?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, of course, our government wants to have a robust industrial policy that will create jobs all across the country and we are working with provinces and we are working with the private sector to keep taxes low. We have a 13-point lower corporate tax rate than what is offered in the United States. We have a number of policies to keep us competitive and to keep us moving forward.

With regard to our support for the automotive sector, I sure liked the member for Edmonton—St. Albert when he voted for these things, but now that he is speaking against them in the Parliament of Canada just shows how far he has fallen from reasonable public policy.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Ditmir Bushati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would also like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Mr. Sadakazu Tanigaki, President of the Japan-Canada Diet Friendship League.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

Board of Internal Economy

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I have the honour to inform the House that Mr. Julian, member for the electoral district of Burnaby—New Westminster, has been appointed member of the Board of Internal Economy, in place of Ms. Turmel, member for the electoral district of Hull—Aylmer, for the purposes and under the provisions of section 50 of the Parliament of Canada Act.

Government Response to Petitions

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to six petitions.

Canadian Human Rights Act

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-671, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (hate speech).

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a bill that would restore the anti-hate speech provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act, along with appropriate safeguards.

In 2012, the Conservatives responded to valid concerns about section 13 hate speech provisions of the Human Rights Act by essentially throwing out the baby with the proverbial bathwater and repealing the section outright. I was one of many who argued at the time that the section should be refined, not repealed, so as to result in hate speech provisions, such as those I am proposing today.

For example, the bill would institute protections against frivolous suits and abuse of process, such as requiring the consent of the attorney general for a complaint to go forward and allowing also for the awarding of costs.

Freedom of expression is the lifeblood of democracy and the bill expressly protects it. However, as Justice Rothstein wrote in the Supreme Court's unanimous 2013 decision regarding laws against hate speech:

The objective for which the limit is imposed, namely tackling causes of discriminatory activity to reduce the harmful effects and social costs of discrimination, is pressing and substantial.

Hate speech is not simply a matter of offending sensibilities or being politically correct, which is protected speech. It causes real and tangible harm, can assault the very values underlying free speech, can breach our international commitments and can assault the principle of equality. I thus invite all members to support this legislation.

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

Ukraine

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I move:

That a take-note debate on the subject of the ongoing situation in Ukraine take place, pursuant to Standing Order 53.1, on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

(Motion agreed to)

Impaired Driving

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first one is with regard to the current impaired driving laws which the petitioners say are too lenient. They request tougher laws and the implementation of new mandatory minimum sentences for those convicted of impaired driving causing death. They also request that the Criminal Code be amended to redefine the offence of impaired driving causing death as vehicular manslaughter.

Sex Selection

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition resulted from a documentary that said ultrasounds are being used in Canada to tell the sex of unborn children so that pregnancy can be terminated if the unborn child is a girl. The petitioners ask members of Parliament to condemn the discrimination against girls occurring through sex selective pregnancy termination.

Stewart-Hyder Border Crossing

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from dozens and dozens of people across the northwest of B.C., and particularly from Stewart, B.C., who have recently seen the border between Stewart, B.C. and Hyder, Alaska closed for eight hours in every 24-hour period. They note in their petition that this is the only connection particularly for our American neighbours just to the outside of Stewart and that it is important for the mining and power industries, as well as the vital tourism sector that much of the community relies upon.

The petitioners find it offensive as there are no cost savings for the Government of Canada. In fact, now the American government has offered to make up the costs, if there are any. It has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime. The petitioners call for the border to be open for the full 24 hours, for us to be good neighbours and to support small and northern communities like Stewart, British Columbia.