Debates of April 29th, 2015

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to the member that, in fact, we have invested $2.8 million in crime prevention in Surrey since 2006.

However, having said that, Canadians will not tolerate being held hostage in their own communities by thugs and criminals who are members of street gangs. Our government has been clear that this sort of illegal activity is completely unacceptable, and that is why we have passed more than 30 tough-on-crime bills, including harsh mandatory prison sentences for those involved in drive-by—

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Newton—North Delta.

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

Mr. Speaker, that kind of response gives no comfort to the citizens of Surrey. Empty words are simply not good enough.

The Conservatives are abandoning our community in the middle of a crisis. Lives are at risk. People deserve to be safe from violence. They need real action, not excuses from the minister.

I have stood in this House and called for more RCMP to deal with the violence in Surrey. The mayor of Surrey is asking the federal government to approve 100 more RCMP. Will the government commit now to approve this without delay?

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

Mr. Speaker, I certainly have good news for that member. Budget 2015 includes new funding for our security agencies across the country, including the RCMP, of $300 million.

I would also reiterate that it is this government that has passed more than 30 tough-on-crime bills to keep Canadians safe, including in that member's riding.

Last, we recognize that crime prevention is necessary to keep Canadians safe, and that is why, in Surrey, B.C., since 2006, we have provided $2.8 million for crime prevention.

Veterans Affairs

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. Unfortunately, one veteran who was invited as a guest of the Dutch government is unable to be accompanied by his son, because the Avon Maitland District School Board his son works for has refused his request for unpaid leave.

Can the minister please update this House on this specific case?

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Minister of Veterans Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank that member, who served himself in uniform.

I spoke with Art Boon this week, an inspiring 90-year-old veteran who wants to return with his comrades to the Netherlands, a country Canadians liberated 70 years ago.

I am truly hopeful that the school board, which I also spoke with this week, will look at this issue and try to find an outcome to let Mr. Boon go on this excursion with his comrades and with his son.

Nepal

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Nepal is in the throes of a terrible tragedy.

The government has a duty to do everything it can in such circumstances to ensure the safety of Canadian nationals. It is very sad today to hear the accounts of Canadians who feel abandoned by the government.

Can the minister tell us what he plans to do to help all the Canadians who are now stranded in Nepal as quickly as possible?

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular)]

First, Mr. Speaker, this is a tragedy, and we join the rest of the world in mourning the tragic loss of life that has occurred in Nepal.

We have deployed additional consular staff to help deal with this crisis. We have sent hundreds of emergency travel documents. A Canadian consular service point has been established, and the first C-17 plane has left for New Delhi with evacuated Canadians.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the midst of this tragedy, there are oh so many Canadian families who are desperately worried about their loved ones, and many have expressed frustration with the response of the Canadian government. These families say they are having difficulty getting clear answers from the Department of Foreign Affairs, and unlike other countries, Canadian evacuees are being told they will have to find their own way home from New Delhi.

Canadians need answers as to how the government is going to address these concerns.

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular)]

Mr. Speaker, we have deployed additional staff to assist the people dealing with the crisis. In fact, 11 additional staff are already there in Kathmandu, while another four just arrived today on the RCAF C-17 Globemaster, and we have evacuated Canadians. The first C-17 has just left for New Delhi, and we are pleased to be of assistance.

I commend the Canadian consular officials and everyone else involved who have helped make this happen.

Public Safety

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians depend on first responders to keep us safe, and we owe them our full support in return, but across the country, firefighters are experiencing an increase in post traumatic stress disorder and are not being given the resources they need to deal with it.

We have also seen the Liberals and the Conservatives vote against the NDP bill that would have protected volunteer firefighters while they did their job of protecting Canadians.

Why is the government failing our firefighters?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that firefighters across this country do not fall under the jurisdiction of federal governance. They are municipal, provincial, and so on.

I appreciate that question, but I would also like to point out that I am actually married to a firefighter, and I certainly thank all firefighters across this country, especially my husband, who works in the city of Toronto, for keeping Torontonians safe.

Consumer Protection

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, under the Conservatives, Canadians are working more and more, but still cannot manage to save any money.

Despite record profits in the billions of dollars, Canadian banks are now going to charge new bank fees. After making customers pay for paper statements, they are going to be double-dipping on their customers' mortgage payments.

Are the Conservatives going to give in again to pressure from their banker friends, or will they finally stand up for the middle class?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are the only party in this House that has consistently stood up for the consumers. Unlike the opposition that would raise taxes on middle-class consumers, we have lowered taxes and put more money into the pockets of middle-class consumers.

Our government has taken initiative to improve low-cost bank accounts and expand no-cost banking options for more than seven million Canadians. We introduced the debit and credit card code of conduct. Sadly, the Liberals and the NDP voted against all these measures.

We are here. We support Canadians.

Health

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General slammed the Conservative government for failing its responsibility to mitigate risks posed by the spread of antibiotic resistance in Canada, which the World Health Organization calls a major global threat to human health.

While the Minister of Health, as usual, blames the provinces, the AG blames her for shirking federal leadership.

In 2009, the Conservative government cut funding for the Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance. This pattern of callous mismanagement of public health and safety puts lives in danger.

Will the minister stop blaming others and commit to lead a meeting with provinces on antibiotic misuse and resistance?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member could not be more wrong.

First of all, we are working right now with the World Health Organization to develop a global action plan. We are also working with the World Bank to study the economic impact of antimicrobial resistance. We actually have a national action plan on antimicrobial resistance. When I sat down with the provinces, I encouraged and continue to encourage them to work with us on our plan. I hope after the AG's report, they will be more open to that.

We also have an education campaign that targets health professionals and the veterinary community. For the first time in history, we got the human health side and animal health side together to work on antimicrobial resistance.

Correctional Service of Canada

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General produced a damning report on the government's neglect for public safety with its prison policies.

There were 1,500 inmates released cold turkey, without reintegration programs, and therefore at greater risk to reoffend. Cutting incentives for skills training leaves inmates on release without the skills to be gainfully employed. Holding low-risk offenders longer, adding $26 million to correction costs, has no real gain.

This issue is about public safety. Why is the Conservative government putting Canadians at risk?

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

Mr. Speaker, of course, our Conservative government is committed to keeping Canadians safe, and that is why we are pleased with the Auditor General, who found that our truth in sentencing measures have worked, because more prisoners are staying behind bars where they belong.

We are talking about ending the two-for-one credits. Most Canadians believe that if someone commits a serious crime, and we are talking serious crime not light sentences, with sentences in federal penitentiaries for two years or more, that if they are going to do the serious crime, they should do the time. That member should get on board with that particular principle.

Canada Post

[Isabelle Morin, NDP, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, a constituent called me and said that Canada Post had decided to put a community mailbox right beside the fence between the street and her day care.

All the parents called Canada Post to say that they were worried about the increased traffic and also about safety. They do not want to see all kinds of people approaching their children. Canada Post responded that there was no problem, everything was okay and it would not change its plans.

Does the minister consider that normal? Does she not understand that Canada Post's changes go against peoples' needs?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, Canada Post has delivered 1.4 billion fewer letters than it did in 2006. As a result, it is converting the remaining one-third of houses to community mailboxes.

In that process, every single person affected by this change is sent a survey. People are asked to fill it in and asked what they want and what they do not want in terms of a community mailbox. That is taken back, taken into consideration, and there is a 90% satisfaction rate.

[Dany Morin, NDP, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, Canada Post announced the closure of the post office in Chicoutimi-Nord.

For months, people in my riding have been clear: closing the second most profitable post office in the region is unacceptable. Over 2,500 people from Chicoutimi-Nord sent letters to Ottawa asking to keep the post office open. Canada Post's response this morning was shameful.

The minister responsible for Canada Post needs to reconsider that decision. Will she do so?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, Canada Post has indicated that to deal with the fact that it is no longer self-sufficient and is continuing to see its mail delivery erode, it has put together a five-point plan. As a result, one aspect of this is to ensure that consumers can actually receive their postal services at places they normally frequent, like a Shoppers Drug Mart or another facility where they can do so. It is contracting out in order to ensure that there is best value for the Canadian taxpayer, and we are indeed supporting its plan.

Public Safety

[David Sweet, Conservative, Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know the government's role in defending victims of crime and being appropriately tough on serious offenders. This is why I was proud last week when my bill, fairness for victims of violent offenders and the victims bill of rights, received royal assent.

The NDP and Liberals have been clear that they do not support our agenda whatsoever. Therefore, when Bill Blair announced that he would run for the Liberals Canadians found this most bizarre. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety please update the House on the measures the Conservative government has taken to crack down on crime?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for that question. It is true. Our Conservative government has passed over 30 new measures to crack down on dangerous and violent criminals, including tough new prison sentences for drive-by shootings.

Shockingly, but not surprisingly, the Liberal leader has said that he would repeal all mandatory minimum sentences in the entire Criminal Code. The Liberal leader should instead listen to his new candidate, Bill Blair, who said that when we have minimum sentences and we keep criminals in jail and they're incapacitated, “our streets are safer”.

There seems to be a little conflict within the Liberal Party.

Nepal

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, Steve and Natalie Wheeler, from my riding, are in Lucknow, Nepal and are trying to leave. Here is what they said:

We have limited communication from the Canadian government on what to do. We try to keep them up to date with what little progress we've made trying to leave.... And what do we get? An email from the gov saying we have updated your file accordingly!!! We have received more support, communication and reassurance from our insurance company.

What can Steve and and Natalie expect and when can all Canadians outside the capital expect some real help?