Debates of May 13th, 2015

Child Care

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

Mr. Speaker, the government talks about real Canadian families. Let me tell members that they are wanting affordable child care spaces. This past weekend, parents in Vancouver marched to demand more affordable child care. They are paying as much as $15,000 a year for child care, and they are fed up. The Liberals and the Conservatives have no plan to make child care more affordable, but the NDP will create child care spaces that will cost no more than $15 a day.

Why not listen to parents and adopt the NDP plan?

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Minister of State (Social Development)]

Mr. Speaker, that is NDP disrespect. They consider a family that is not using a regulated daycare space not a real family. It is not up to the government to decide what is a real family or what is child care. That is up to Canadian families themselves. That is up to moms and dads. Parents are the real experts.

We are going to keep taxes low for all Canadian families, who we consider to be trustworthy and worthy of the money that belongs to them. We are going to keep putting money back in their pockets and let them decide how to care for their children. We will reject the insults of the NDP to all Canadian families.

Taxation

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is a simple question, but we cannot seem to get a clear answer from the Conservatives.

They could take action now to put an end to the unfair tax on feminine hygiene products. We have been forced to pay tax on these essential items for 24 years now even though consumer goods such as wedding cakes are exempt. That is just not fair.

Will the Conservatives amend their budget bill to remove this unfair tax once and for all?

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

Mr. Speaker, as has already been said in the House, this government is focused on lowering taxes. We have gone from 7% to 6% to 5% on the GST. The opposition voted against that. Our focus is on making sure that taxes are lower on Canadian families, particularly on Canadian women. I wonder why the NDP members never supported any of those actions. I encourage them to support this budget and lower taxes.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives were serious about ending this discriminatory tax, they would commit to amending the budget bill immediately. Women have been paying this unfair federal tax for more than 24 years, so we thank the Conservatives for voting for our motion. It is very nice, but we must not make women wait any longer to end this sexist tax.

Will the Prime Minister allow his caucus a free vote on removing this unfair tax in this year's budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, if the NDP were serious about supporting families, they would support our budget and lower taxes. We have been very focused on making sure that Canadians all experience lower taxes. The GST went from 7% to 6% to 5%. That is making sure that we have lower taxes. In fact, they are the lowest they have been in 50 years in Canadian history. I encourage the opposition to get on board and lower taxes for Canadians so they have more money in their pockets.

Employment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have been spending $100,000 per self-serving partisan ad during the NHL playoffs. Each of these ads could fund 30 summer student jobs. While we are sad that there are no Canadian teams left in the playoffs, there could be one winner, and that could be Canadian students.

Will the Prime Minister commit here and now to redirect the remaining money that was allocated for partisan ads during the playoffs and instead invest it in providing jobs for hundreds of Canadian students?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are directing money into the pockets of moms and dads across the country. We have increased the universal child care benefit to almost $2,000 for kids under 6 and $720 for kids 6 through 17. However, there are still 200,000 people who have not signed up for that benefit to which they are entitled. The advertising, in part, is designed to inform them so that they can get those benefits.

We know the Liberals want to take that money away. That is why they do not want Canadians to know about it in the first place. Yesterday, the Liberal leader said, “...benefiting every single family is not what is fair”.

We believe it is fair to benefit every single family and we will make sure that families receive those benefits.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, there are 169,000 fewer jobs for young Canadians today than before the downturn. While students are struggling to find work, the Conservatives are holding back money that was budgeted for programs to help fight youth unemployment. At the same time, the Conservatives are wasting tax dollars on self-promotional ads during the NHL playoffs. The money spent on each one of those ads could fund 30 summer jobs in the Canada summer jobs program

When will the Conservatives stop wasting tax dollars on ads to promote themselves and start helping young Canadians find work?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me read a quote:

It is important to communicate with residents across the country. People want to know about the tax credits that are available to them and the job hiring grants. Many parents want to know about the fitness tax credit, for instance, and we need to communicate with Canadians to let them know about the money that is available to them. It is their tax dollars.

Who said that? It was the Liberal member for Mississauga—Brampton South.

Public Service of Canada

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, those in the current Conservative government have become masters at coming up with solutions for problems that do not exist, especially when it comes to attacking organized labour. Bill C-377 and Bill C-525 sort of come to mind.

These are benefits that have been fought for at the bargaining table and won.

It is obvious that the minister has come to the table with public servants to dictate, not to negotiate. Will the minister restore fairness into the process and show a little bit of respect for public servants?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, my bargaining representatives have had close to 200 meetings with union representatives to date, and there are 47 other meetings that had been scheduled before the union unilaterally declined to sit at the bargaining table. We have made some fair and reasonable offers: fair and reasonable to the employees, but more importantly, or as importantly, fair and reasonable to the taxpayer, and we will continue to make those offers.

Public Safety

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, internal RCMP documents obtained under access to information show that the RCMP timed the release of the video made by the Ottawa shooter on October 22 so that it would not overshadow public hearings on Bill C-51.

A Friday release was recommended because “...attention on the video will be very high over the weekend, but that the issue will die down early the following week so that the focus can be on the Bill C-51 hearings.”

Did the minister ask the RCMP to delay the release of the October 22 video?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, I have full confidence in the judgment of the RCMP. While respecting the operational independence of the RCMP, our government shares the view of the public safety committee, on which the member sits, and approves of the principle of transparency. On this side of the House, we are not afraid to call a spade a spade. What took place here on October 22 was a terrorist attack. When will the NDP come clear on that?

[Rosane Doré Lefebvre, NDP, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it appears that the RCMP scheduled the release of the video of the October 22 shooting to coincide with the political timetable for Bill C-51. That is quite disturbing. The idea that the RCMP could be coordinating its work with the Conservatives' partisan political timetable raises quite a few questions.

My question is very simple. Did the minister personally have anything to do with the RCMP's decision, yes or no?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker.

Operational decisions are made by the RCMP, in which I have complete confidence.

Our government, like the committee that my colleague belongs to, believes that there must be transparency and respect for the investigation process. That is what we are doing, and that is why we have to call a spade a spade. What happened here on October 22 was a terrorist attack.

When will the New Democrats face reality and come up with solutions like our anti-terrorism measures?

Veterans

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is playing a dangerous political game. After making cuts to care and services for veterans and spending over $700,000 to defend itself against a class action lawsuit filed by veterans, the government is now trying to pass Bill C-58 in the middle of dozens of other measures, without debate, without examination in committee and without any consideration for veterans.

Why is the government playing partisan politics at the expense of veterans?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, the provisions in Bill C-58 will be going to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs for review, even though most of the provisions in that bill were recommended by that very committee last June.

He should stop the rhetoric in the House, recognize that some of these recommendations were adopted by all sides, and get behind Bill C-58, the budget implementation act, making tangible progress for veterans and their families.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in committee, the Minister of Veterans Affairs was extremely economical with the truth, blaming the opposition for the delay of passage of Bill C-58 when they themselves introduced a bill and never brought it back.

The Conservatives are shoving it in Bill C-59, an omnibus bill, knowing full well that we in the NDP will never vote confidence in the Conservatives.

Will the government now agree with our motion after question period to move Bill C-58 immediately to committee for immediate review?

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

Mr. Speaker, over the last few months, as we have rolled out new benefits and programs for veterans and their families, that member has opposed and criticized almost every one, including standing in this House to criticize a new benefit that he recommended last year as part of the standing committee.

I have made a commitment to veterans and their families that these new benefits will pass before this summer. Whether their delay is intentional or not, I am not going to allow delays to stand in the way of veterans and their families getting these important benefits.

This BIA will pass.

Taxation

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the leader of the Liberal Party, our government has put forward a plan to support 100% of Canadian families with children.

Can the minister of employment please update the House on how our government's plan is providing support for all of those Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, our family tax cut and benefits help 100% of families with kids. In contrast, the Liberal leader said, “benefiting every single family is not what is fair”. That is why he would scrap the universal child care benefit, scrap the family tax cut and income splitting, scrap the child tax benefit and gut the tax-free savings accounts.

Even after all of those clawbacks and tax increases, the Liberal leader is still short by billions of dollars every year. He is not ready, and neither is his plan.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Pic Mobert First Nation has been working since 1992 to acquire a small 16 square kilometre parcel of land that will give the community the room it needs to grow. There is no cost to the government, but the delay is costing the first nation and is holding back projects, including an industrial park.

The province has signed, the band has signed, but the government is missing in action. When will the minister sign the agreement that will let the Pic Mobert First Nation grow its on-reserve economy?

[Mark Strahl, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development]

Mr. Speaker, as the member will know, the additions to reserve process is often a lengthy and complex one. I will speak to the minister directly about this specific case.

Certainly, we are working with willing partners in first nations communities to advance their economic needs and to advance their economic participation in Canada. Every time we do that, that member and her party vote against it.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, aboriginal communities are tired of waiting on a minister who does not answer their questions.

The Prime Minister promised to work toward reconciliation. Nevertheless, all we are getting from this government is meaningless answers. One minister said that my bill, which seeks to uphold the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, was “utter nonsense”. My question is simple: rather than being part of the problem, will he now try to be part of the solution?