Debates of May 29th, 2015

Canada Post

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, in 2014, Canada Post delivered 1.4 billion fewer pieces of mail than in 2006. Two-thirds of Canadians do not have mail delivered to their door. Canada Post must balance its books without being a burden on Canadian taxpayers.

In the meantime, the NDP plan for Canada Post will cost taxpayers half a billion dollars a year, which means that the NDP will increase the tax burden of all Canadians to finance its plan.

That is not what we on this side of the House are going to do. We are going to keep taxes low, create jobs and put money in the pockets of Canadian workers.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are obviously not listening to municipal elected officials or individuals. Ending home mail delivery has a direct impact on municipalities, but the government did not find it necessary to consult them. The City of Laval will now have to go to court to say its piece.

Will the government finally show some respect for municipal elected officials and sit down with them to talk about this?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, Canada Post delivered 1.4 billion fewer letters in 2014 than it did in 2006. It has a five-point plan to address that, which includes consultations with those whose postal delivery would be affected. The member well knows that.

What the member should also be clear about is that Canada Post needs to continue with its five-point plan. Last year, it did not make a $1.3 billion special payment to make up for its unfunded pension liabilities. The estimated payment this year as well would be $1.4 billion. That is in Canada Post's report on page 68.

The member should allow Canada Post to get on with its structural changes.

[Charmaine Borg, NDP, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have served up the same tired lines about Canada Post over and over. It might be time for a new strategy.

More than 600 municipalities, including the City of Terrebonne, expressed their discontent. The NDP listened to people and elected officials, so it understands that home mail delivery is not a luxury; it is an essential service.

Instead of spending thousands on legal fees, why will the government not agree to a moratorium?

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the member is fighting for a plan for only one-third of Canadians. She knows that two-thirds of Canadians currently do not receive door-to-door delivery.

I point her to page 68 of Canada Post's annual report in 2014. Allow me to quote:

Without pension relief, the Corporation would have been required to make special payments of approximately $1.3 billion in 2014. The special payments without pension relief would amount $1.4 billion in 2015.

Those payments would have to be made in subsequent years as well. Canada Post needs to continue with its five-point plan.

The Environment

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after much hemming and hawing, we finally got the Minister of the Environment to commit to her new target of 524 megatonnes by 2030. Having done nothing for the last 10 years, she now asks us to believe that an additional 200 megatonnes will be achieved in 15 years without a plan.

What are her commitments in writing from the provinces? What are her commitments in writing from the industrial sectors? How will she offset the projected 180 megatonnes from the oil sands?

This target looks more deceptive and delusional than fair and ambitious.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, our government has announced a fair and ambitious target for Canada that is in line internationally with industrialized countries.

We plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, which is a reduction of 225 megatonnes, and we will continue to take a responsible and balanced approach.

Building on this, we will reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, regulate the production of chemical and nitrogen fertilizers, and reduce emissions from natural gas-fired electricity generation, and we will do this without forcing a job-killing carbon tax.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I sent a letter to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety about a young woman who was deported to Burundi yesterday and is currently in Addis Ababa.

At a time when they are asking Canadian citizens in Burundi to leave the country immediately, how can they justify deporting a young woman to that country?

Will she be allowed to return to Canada where she will be safe, and will the government stop deportations to Burundi at least temporarily?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that these decisions are made by highly qualified officials after extensive review of the individual's file.

I believe if the member feels strongly about this, he could speak to me for further details after question period.

Telecommunications

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, although the Conservatives have announced money to provide high-speed Internet access to more regions, many areas in my riding are not benefiting from it at all.

In many parts of Chelsea, people are still having problems with connectivity and speed, and there are no solutions. We are not talking about the far reaches of the Arctic Circle; we are talking about a municipality that is less than 25 km from the Prime Minister's office. Clearly, the Conservative plan is not working.

What does the government plan to do to get the people of Chelsea connected?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to answer this question.

Last week the minister was pleased to announce that our government has exceeded the targets of the Connecting Canadians program. The Connecting Canadians program will connect over 70,000 more households to affordable high-speed Internet, for a total of 357,000 homes. We have achieved this goal with only 60% of the total Connecting Canadians budget.

For Canadians in rural and northern regions, access to high-speed Internet will unlock tremendous economic potential, leading to the creation of new jobs, products, and businesses across Canada. Again, I only wish the opposition parties would support initiatives like this.

Employment

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, more job losses can be added to the long list of Conservative failures when it comes to the economy.

In Longueuil, the Provigo Le Marché supermarket is the latest victim. The 80 people who are losing their jobs are not the only people in the community who will suffer. All the organizations that benefited from the generous support of the owner, André Tremblay, will also suffer.

As communities become generally poorer, people buy more foreign-made products, which are of lower quality but cheaper. They buy more and more goods from Walmart, stores like Provigo close, and the downward spiral continues.

Will the Conservatives finally acknowledge that their economic policies are having a serious impact on communities like Longueuil?

[Andrew Saxton, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we sympathize with those Canadians who have lost their jobs.

Our Conservative government is focused on what matters to Canadians: jobs and economic growth. Nevertheless, Canada's overall job growth record since the depth of the global recession is among the best in the G7 countries, with over 1.2 million net new jobs created, and they are overwhelmingly full-time, high-wage, and private sector jobs.

As we have always said, Canada is not immune to the global economic challenges beyond our borders. We will continue to reject the Liberal and NDP policy to hike payroll taxes dramatically, and also the NDP's risky high-tax and debt scheme, which would kill jobs and hurt the Canadian economy.

Social Development

[Colin Mayes, Conservative, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, constituents from my riding of Okanagan—Shuswap are very pleased with our measures to help Canadian middle-class families.

Can the Minister of State for Social Development update this House on the impact the universal child care benefit is having on families from coast to coast to coast?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that great question and the great work that he has done for his constituents over the years.

I was pleased to be in Pickering over the last week and met with families to tell them about the expanded and increased universal child care benefit.

I met with Melanie. Melanie is a single mom with a five-year-old son, soon turning six. She was thrilled when I told her that our plan would increase and expand the universal child care benefit for her, because she counts on that support.

I also told her that the Liberal plan would be to completely end the universal child care benefit and that the NDP plan would not help her at all, because she is not using licensed day care.

Our plan helps all families with children, regardless of how they choose to look after their children. Melanie was very happy to hear that.

Housing

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an unprecedented crisis is gripping thousands of people whose homes are affected by pyrrhotite. Once again, the federal government is not there to answer the calls for help from Mauricie.

How does the government plan to address this regional crisis and limit the impact of this housing catastrophe in a region already heavily stigmatized by thousands of job losses in the primary resources sector?

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

Mr. Speaker, this member knows well that the pyrrhotite issue falls under provincial jurisdiction. In fact, the Government of Quebec launched a provincial program to provide financial assistance for homeowners dealing with pyrrhotite damage in August of 2011.

I would urge those concerned to contact the Société d'habitation du Québec.

Northern Development

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our government's 2015 budget is focused on what matters to Canadians: creating jobs, lowering taxes, and providing benefits directly to families. However, the leader of the Liberal Party wants to dramatically hike payroll taxes on the middle class.

Can the Minister of the Environment explain to the House what our budget would do for our north?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Prince George—Peace River for that great question.

Unlike previous governments that made cuts on the backs of the territories, our government is providing record-high transfer payments to the territories in health care, education, and social programs. We are investing in northern infrastructure, housing, tourism, and the economy, and we are also supporting meteorological and navigational warning services and enhancing safety of marine transportation in the Arctic. We are also securing a new market access for Canadian seal products.

The Liberals and the New Democrats would eliminate the child care benefit program and raise the cost of living in the north with a carbon tax.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Sana Hassainia, Independent, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that permanent residents in my riding who were adopted and thought they received Canadian citizenship on their arrival in Canada have voted before. It was only when applying for a passport that they realized that they were not Canadians.

No proof of citizenship is required for getting added to the voter list. Applicants are simply asked whether they are Canadian citizens.

Does the government have any idea how many people who are on the voter list should not be? Does the government plan to tighten up the process to ensure that it takes more than just answering a yes or no question to exercise one's right to vote?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the rules are very clear and specific. People have an opportunity to apply for the permanent residence cards through Canadian immigration streams. We have many, including economic streams, family reunification streams, and humanitarian streams .

Once people apply for their permanent residence card, if they adhere to the rules by staying in the country for the period of time that they are expected to stay here, they can apply for their Canadian citizenship.

Health

[Manon Perreault, Independent, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after years of negotiations among lawyers, doctors and Health Canada officials, thalidomide victims were finally made an offer that was deemed acceptable by the parties involved. The lump-sum payment of $250,000 seemed to be a fair compromise, but for unknown reasons, the government's final offer dropped to $125,000.

This morning, I spoke with a victim who told me that there was no justification for this arbitrary decision. The government has caused considerable harm by substituting its own decision for that of responsible and informed stakeholders.

Who at Health Canada made this decision?

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and for Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, we have made a very unprecedented settlement. It was a tragic event in the 1960s that reminds us of how important drug safety is.

It is important to note that, as was announced just last week, there will be tax-free yearly payments based on need and that over 75% of the people will receive $75,000 to $100,000 tax free. Of course, there is also going to be an extraordinary medical assistance fund. This is important support that will allow the victims of this crisis to live their lives with dignity.

Taxation

[Massimo Pacetti, Independent, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of State for Small Business has good reason to be pleased because the tariff reductions on imports of baby clothing and sports equipment established in 2013 have been good for SMEs and consumers.

The price has dropped on almost all of the merchandise in these sectors. However, despite many promises, no new initiatives have been introduced.

Can the Minister of State for Small Business assure us that prices will continue to drop? When will SMEs and Canadians benefit from new tariff reductions?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government has undertaken a number of initiatives to reduce taxes. Of course, the ones being referenced are ones that are part of a number of things we have done to help families by reducing taxes. In particular, the member spoke about sports equipment, where we did reduce tariffs where we did not have Canadians manufacturing in a field.

More importantly for Canadians is the fact that we have, in the most recent budget, doubled the sports and fitness tax credit, which we originally introduced. Again, it is another thing that is helping families get by and keep their children involved and active in sporting activities. This is an example of our government taking action to help families.