Debates of May 14th, 2015

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister said yesterday at committee, we are looking at implementing changes to the military justice system so that it comes into line with the victims bill of rights that we passed in the House of Commons not that long ago.

I just want to say, on the issue of sexual assault within the Canadian Armed Forces, that we find that a deplorable act, we condemn it in the strongest terms, and we are supporting the Chief of the Defence Staff and Major-General Christine Whitecross, who has stood up the strategic response team to move forward on implementing all 10 recommendations of Justice Deschamps.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the minister refuses to recognize the clear evidence of a need for fundamental change in how the military justice system deals with sexual assault. He has also refused to provide a clear legal framework for our troops in Iraq, despite our having been there for nine months. The minister has failed to secure a status of forces agreement. The United States has one. In fact, they would not stay in Afghanistan without one. Such an agreement could have been an important matter in the wake of Sergeant Doiron's tragic death.

Why does Canada not have this basic and vital agreement in place now?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member, indeed all opposition members, that we are in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq.

Our government has worked directly with the Government of Iraq to secure all the appropriate protections for members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are participating in the coalition operations to fight ISIS, the jehadist terrorist organization.

The status of forces agreements are binding, they are treaty-level, they are international commitments between countries, and they take a long time to negotiate.

That is exactly what the member is trying to advocate here. It is about opposing the mission. The members want to delay it, and we want to get over there and help fight this terrorist organization to protect Canada and Canadians.

Public Safety

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, there was shocking news today from the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada. Someone within the government broke the law.

The RCMP destroyed records, knowing those records were subject to the right of access, guaranteed under the Access to Information Act.

The destruction of government documents is a violation of Canadian law. Who gave the order, or is the Minister of Public Safety himself a co-conspirator in this illegal activity in an agency under his authority?

What has happened here? Why was the law broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, not only is the RCMP fully complying with the law, but it is also respecting the will of Parliament.

Our government will not apologize for having ended the ineffective, wasteful long gun registry.

Our government has taken a clear position. This Parliament has decided that we would move forward, and we expect that all agencies will move forward. That is why we needed to close a loophole.

We are doing it and we are proud to make sure that the will of Parliament and this country is respected.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, the will of Parliament has nothing to do with it. The facts are these: The Conservatives either destroyed or had destroyed government records, in violation of Canadian law.

Now they are trying to protect themselves by burying changes in the budget bill to cover up this illegal act.

Who is this cover-up being implemented to protect? Is it the RCMP, a minister, or both?

How far up the Prime Minister's chain of command does this illegal cover-up for illegal activities go; how far up that chain of command?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very lively question.

However, the facts are clear: the Government of Canada and Parliament put an end to the costly and ineffective gun registry. We expect agencies to apply Parliament's decision. That is why we are closing a loophole that was in the legislation.

When will the Liberals stop going after hunters, fishers, and law-abiding citizens and start going after criminals?

[Jasbir Sandhu, NDP, Surrey North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis in my community of Surrey: 30 shootings in the past two months.

The Conservatives brag about being tough on crime, but we are not seeing that on the streets of Surrey.

The city and the province have asked for an urgent addition of 100 RCMP officers, but we are still waiting for the government to approve those officers.

Why are the Conservatives stalling, and why are they failing to protect communities like mine?

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

Mr. Speaker, this government is waiting for the support of the opposition and the NDP to take strong action to keep our communities safe.

I have walked in the streets of Surrey. I have seen the benefit of having a strong strategy with tougher sentences for drive-by shooting. The NDP members oppose those measures. They oppose the funding we have put into the RCMP and into prevention.

We are working with the British Columbia government. We are serious. I am very proud of the effort my colleagues are making. We are standing by the people of Surrey, and we will make sure that their community is safer in the great country we have, Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the people in our community do not want to hear more excuses from this majority Conservative government. They want action—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. It did not sound to me that the member had finished her question, so I will ask members to hold off on their applause.

The hon. member for Newton—North Delta.

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

Mr. Speaker, a government that has a majority complaining it has not taken action. That is what our constituents want. They want safer streets, more youth gang prevention programs and they want the government to immediately approve the 100 new RCMP officers that the city and province have requested. There were 30 shootings in two months. Enough is enough.

The Conservatives cannot ignore this crisis any longer. Will the minister make a clear commitment today for 100 new RCMP officers and tell us exactly when they will arrive?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is working with the city of Surrey and with the British Columbia government. When will the NDP stop giving lip service for the people of Surrey and begin supporting our measures?

We have passed tough new laws to clean up our streets and put gang members behind bars where they belong. We have passed over 30 new tough-on-crime measures. We can never count on the support of the NDP. However, I am so proud to be a part of this Conservative government because we are making our streets safer and we are standing by—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Saskatoon—Humboldt.

Taxation

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Mr. Speaker, as I have been travelling throughout my riding, I have been speaking to hard-working parents about opportunities that this Conservative government gives to them to save more money for their families, such as the universal child care benefit, the family tax cuts and the home accessibility tax credit. I am proud to say this government's plans benefit 100% of families with children.

Could the minister responsible please inform the House what she is hearing everyday Canadians say about these new measures to support them?

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week we learned that the Liberals did not believe that helping every single family was fair. We also heard yesterday that the NDP thought that only families that used licenced daycares were real families. These are not just gaffs by the opposition members, although we know there seems to be a lot of gaffs going on. This is actually what they believe. They believe that only a select few families deserve support in Canada.

On this side of the House, we delivered the universal child care benefit to all families. We are committed to enhancing it and increasing it. We will always give money back to Canadian families because it is their money, all of it.

National Defence

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of National Defence deny that the orders restricting Major General Whitecross still stand? Until these orders are changed and despite the minister's false claims, General Whitecross simply cannot act on all 10 recommendations of the Deschamps report, including the creation of an independent centre for accountability for sexual abuse and harassment. Our Canadian Armed Forces members deserve action, not confusion.

Why will the minister not assume his responsibilities and act to have these orders rescinded now?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister, the minister and the Chief of the Defence Staff all proved that statement was absolutely false.

l will quote Major General Christine Whitecross who said, “My marching orders are very clear. My mandate is to get a team together, to get an action plan to address all 10 recommendations”. She is doing just that. She will continue to ensure that we are there to support victims of sexual assault as well as change the culture within the Canadian Armed Forces so we can address this issue head on.

Forestry Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the forestry industry is important to my riding. It employs thousands of workers and contributes to the economic development of my region. Our forestry industry needs help to modernize production and compete globally. On Sunday, we learned that the government would be setting up a committee. Unfortunately, the government has not provided many details, leaving the people in my region in the dark.

Can the minister tell us whether this committee will be set up before the election, or is this another empty Conservative gesture?

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

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to talk about our balanced budget that benefits every Canadian family from coast to coast to coast. Our budget makes investments in the forest sector that will create jobs and grow the economy.

Here is what the Quebec Forest Industry Council has to say, “By this budgetary measure, the Canadian government is recognizing the forest industry’s major contribution to the country’s economy. With [over 200 000] direct jobs, including some 60 000 in Quebec, the industry contributes to Canada’s GDP to the tune of nearly 21 billion dollars”.

Taxation

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that small business is the backbone of the Canadian economy. While the opposition wants to raise taxes, small businesses in my riding of Huron—Bruce know that only this government supports them.

Could the Minister of Finance please tell the House why the members of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business applauded the government's economic action plan 2015 and gave it an A?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, third time lucky; those members may actually vote for the budget. If they want me to answer more questions, they should pose them.

Our government is proud that we will be be bringing small business taxes to 9%. This means cutting federal taxes to almost one half. It will be the biggest decrease in 25 years.

However, the Liberal leader said that he would kill jobs by reversing these cuts. Then his finance critic later contradicted him. Did he go off script again, or is he scrambling to fill a massive hole in his discredited plan, a hole that is getting bigger with every—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has made it clear that the climate targets for the upcoming climate meetings in Paris will be tabled before the G7. With the G7 scheduled for June 7 and 8 in Germany, could the Minister of the Environment update us on when we might expect to see the intended nationally determined contributions from the Government of Canada?