House of Commons Hansard #210 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was women.
Laurin Liu NDP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, the youth unemployment rate continues to climb.
Apparently, the budget implementation act will finally provide health and safety protection to unpaid interns. However, the legislation fails to guarantee other minimum standards, such as protection from sexual harassment or a cap on hours of work.
In Canada, there are roughly 300,000 interns, and most of them are young.
Will the minister correct these serious flaws in the budget implementation bill in order to better protect interns?
Susan Truppe ConservativeParliamentary Secretary for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, our government knows that internships can provide important workplace-based learning experiences. However, we recognize that many Canadians are concerned about the potential for abuse and lack of protections for unpaid interns. That is why, through economic action plan 2015, our Conservative government would amend the Canada Labour Code to ensure that interns under federal jurisdiction, regardless of pay, receive occupational health and safety protections and are subject to basic safety standards.
Laurin Liu NDP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, it took years of pressure from the NDP and intern advocates to get any action from the government whatsoever, but after voting against the NDP's intern protection act, it has now introduced a BIA that would leave interns without key workplace protections, such as those against harassment or excessive working hours.
With youth unemployment at twice the national average, hundreds of thousands of young Canadians are forced into unpaid internships. We can do better. Will the minister fix the government's omnibus bill to ensure real protection for Canadian interns?
Susan Truppe ConservativeParliamentary Secretary for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, I just mentioned that in our economic action plan 2015, our Conservative government will amend the Canada Labour Code to ensure that interns under federal jurisdiction, regardless of pay, receive occupational health and safety protections and will be subject to basic safety standards. It would be nice if the member got on board and supported it.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives really have it in for the CBC. We know that the Prime Minister said that Radio-Canada employees hate Conservative values.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is just great. It is very enlightening to see what is happening on the other side of the House.
Now, we have learned that Conservative Senator Maltais insulted one of the crown corporation's executive vice-presidents before a parliamentary committee. It comes as no surprise that the senator also said that he hopes the CBC will not get any additional funding.
I see the members opposite chuckling, and that says it all.
Rather than feeding its own obsessions, will the government finally support our public broadcaster?
Paul Calandra ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and for Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as you know, the government provides the CBC with over $1 billion in taxpayer funding each and every year. It has more than enough resources to continue and complete its mandate, in both official languages, in all regions of the country
Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, on April 29, 2015, the House unanimously adopted Motion No. 553, which I sponsored. This motion seeks to support the economic development of many cities and regions across the country. The House of Commons has spoken. Like the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transport must act as quickly as possible to set up a mechanism whereby non-designated airports, such as the Sherbrooke airport, can have access to security screening services.
Will the minister quickly introduce this new mechanism—and I do mean quickly—or will she continue to put off taking care of my region's economic development?
Jeff Watson ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that Canada's aviation security system supports economic growth.
If screening has to be carried out at non-designated airports or if it is not required for security purposes, another source of funding must be established. The minister asked her officials to develop a mechanism whereby non-designated, low-risk airports are able to obtain security screening services on a cost-recovery basis.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, Shoal Lake 40 First Nation is a reserve. It is actually located on an island. It has no ferry service. That means that they do not have access to bottled water. They do not have access to groceries, in the same manner. The government has sat back and done nothing to deal with these very important needs of the community.
My question for the minister responsible is, what has the government done? This question has been posed on several occasions. What has the minister done to resolve the state of emergency for the Lake 40 nations?
Bernard Valcourt ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, our immediate priority, of course, is the health and safety of the Shoal Lake residents. For the information of the member, repairs are being carried out on the ferry as we speak. Our officials are in daily contact with the people to ensure food, medicine, and good care is taken of the residents. We will continue to co-operate with the chief and council of Shoal Lake.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, this week it is Shoal Lake. Last month it was Kashechewan, where residents were evacuated for the fourth consecutive year because of predictable flooding of the community.
The government is not only underfunding emergency management, but would rather spend $750 million on partisan ads rather than invest in long-term solutions. This is not just economic mismanagement, it impacts real people, real families, who are paying the price for these selfish choices.
Why is the government stubbornly refusing to help aboriginal communities until they are a crisis on the front page?
Bernard Valcourt ConservativeMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Mr. Speaker, I would be tempted to say that the good news is never on the front page. If we look at this budget, for example, we are increasing expenditures and investment in first nations and aboriginals in Canada by over $500 million. We are going to continue to work on our shared priorities with first nations throughout Canada, with Inuit and Métis, and continue to have them prosper along with other Canadians.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, the former B.C. RCMP headquarters in the heart of Vancouver is being redeveloped by the federal government. Young families, seniors, low-income earners, folks with disabilities, and many others, are struggling to find affordable homes in the world's second most expensive city. It is essential that affordable housing be part of this property's future, and the federal government must be part of the solution.
Will the Conservatives address the housing crisis in Vancouver and commit to building affordable housing on this important site?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, we have a housing first strategy which puts money directly into the construction of new housing stock. That said, let us remember that the best way to get someone a roof over their head is to put money in their pocket. That is exactly what we have done with the universal child care benefit. That benefit alone has lifted 41,000 children out of poverty and into the middle class.
During the recession, UNICEF confirms that Canada actually lifted 180,000 children out of poverty and into the middle class. We did that, according to UNICEF, by putting money directly in the pockets of moms and dads. When moms and dads have more money, they do the right things, and they lift their kids up for a brighter future.
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, in 2014, ICI par les arts, an organization in Rivière-du-Nord, applied for a grant through the skills link program.
After being approved at the regional level, the project was blocked by Employment and Social Development Canada. Why? We still have no idea.
The organization is nearly bankrupt. Young people are left to their own devices on the streets. However, we just learned that the minister had a leeway of $30 million for his youth employment strategy that he failed to spend. I wrote to the minister to ask why the project had been blocked.
I am asking him now: why did the project from ICI par les arts get blocked by his own department?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, we help young people get training in order to find jobs.
For example, we provided 500,000 apprenticeship grants; these are $4,000 grants that help young people get training to work in skilled trades. I understand that the New Democrats and the Liberals do not support skilled trades, but we support them and we are making these investments. That is one reason why Canada has created 1.2 million new jobs since the recession.
Patricia Davidson Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Mr. Speaker, families with children in my riding of Sarnia—Lambton are pleased with our government's plan to put more money back in their pockets. That is why we introduced the enhanced universal child care benefit and family tax cuts, which benefit low and middle-income families.
Could the Minister of Employment please update the House on how we can ensure that all Canadian families with children benefit from our plan?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeMinister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her great work on behalf of taxpayers and families. The family tax cut and benefits help 100% of families with kids. The family tax cut, or income-splitting, helps almost half of all families with kids under the age of 18 by allowing parents to split their income to save up to $2,000.
The universal child care benefit will be raised to $2,000 per year per child under the age of six, and $720 a year for kids ages 6 through 17. There are about 200,000 families that have not yet signed up. I would encourage members of all parties to go out this weekend and tell them that they have until May 15 to get signed up under the extended deadline so that they get their lump sum payment in July.
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Mr. Speaker, people gathered in Quebec City and Montreal to mark the sad anniversary of Raif Badawi's sentence to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. Every time we ask the government to demand Raif's immediate release, the government talks about clemency. However, clemency does not mean his immediate release or reunification with his family in Quebec. In this case, clemency is not justice.
When will the government demand the immediate and unconditional release and exoneration of Raif and his lawyer, Waleed Abu al-Khair.
Bernard Trottier ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for La Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, we have repeatedly and publicly expressed Canada's strong objections to the imprisonment and punishment of Raif Badawi.
We will do so again today. Canada considers Mr. Badawi's sentence to be a violation of human dignity. We will continue to call for clemency in this case. We have made representations to Saudi Arabia's ambassador here in Ottawa, and Canada's ambassador in Riyadh has met with senior Saudi representatives a number of times.
We have also registered our government's concerns with the Government of Saudi Arabia. This will continue going forward until clemency is granted.
James Rajotte Conservative Edmonton—Leduc, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut land claims agreement was signed in 1993. It provides Inuit with significant land ownership, mineral rights, resource royalties, hunting rights, and a capital transfer of $1.14 billion. However, soon after the agreement was signed, it was not implemented properly and Nunavut Tunngavik sued the government.
I would ask the Minister of the Environment to give the House an update on this situation.
Leona Aglukkaq ConservativeMinister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I was in Iqaluit to see the signing of an agreement that ended the lawsuit. The lawsuit came about because a former Liberal government failed to implement the Nunavut land claims agreement.
Since our government came to power, it has taken the time to work with its partners to resolve the complex issue and find a fair and reasonable solution for all parties. The signing of this agreement will result in more opportunities for Inuit to unlock economic opportunities and create jobs in Nunavut.
I am very proud to be part of a government that stands up for Inuit and northerners.
Sana Hassainia Independent Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Speaker, two young women from my riding were in Dhunche, Nepal, in the Langtang Valley, during the earthquake. Family members back home saw how disorganized Canada was. The government had no plan to go get Canadians trapped in Langtang. The families were told that the girls would have to find their own way to Kathmandu.
How can the Canadian government care so little about the safety of its own citizens? Does Canada have no emergency response plan for this kind of situation? What concrete measures will be implemented to ensure that this kind of chaos does not arise when the next international disaster strikes?