Debates of June 2nd, 2015

National Defence

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's failures with military procurement keep piling up. There was the F-35 fiasco, the delay in purchasing search and rescue planes, the cost overrun for the Cyclone helicopters, and I could go on.

The minister is now announcing a reform of the defence procurement system, but he unfortunately has no plan to find the billions of dollars wasted as a result of the Conservatives' incompetence.

Will the minister fix his mistakes and finally give the Canadian Forces the equipment they need to accomplish their missions?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, we have already done so, with the acquisition of the C-17s, the strategic capacity for the air force, as well as new CC-130J Hercules aircraft to help the air force. We have also done so with the new artillery, the new LAVs and all-new equipment.

As for defence procurement, all the experts agree that it is necessary to create a panel at the beginning of the process to reduce procurement backlogs. However, the NDP was against purchasing any new equipment for our armed forces.

Veterans

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

Mr. Speaker, this government spent more than $700,000 to drag our veterans to court. That money should have been spent on something else. It could have been used to provide services to veterans and their families.

The postponement of the Equitas lawsuit until after the election is good news. However, veterans should not have had to take the government to court, period.

Can the government promise to respect its social, judicial, moral, and legal obligation to our Canadian veterans?

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

Mr. Speaker, I agree, the litigation process can be adversarial. That is why I appreciate the efforts that the Equitas Society has made over the last few months to build a respectful dialogue on veterans' issues, including the purpose clause stating our obligation to our veterans that found its way into Bill C-59.

For that reason, I hope that member can finally drop the rhetoric, get behind the bill and support our veterans.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, veterans and their families deserve fair treatment now, just like LGBT members in the Canadian Forces deserved better than the discriminatory treatment they faced in the past; treatment that saw hundreds hunted down and driven out of the Canadian Forces.

Will the Minister of National Defence help right this historic injustice by issuing an official apology and by ensuring that those who were discharged solely on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity have their records revised to reflect their honourable service on behalf of all Canadians?

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, I just learned about the motion tabled by a member opposite, which unfortunately was tabled at the very end of this Parliament. I would be happy to study it.

Of course, the Canadian Armed Forces is one of the most diverse in the world and has included gay and lesbian Canadians in the Canadian Forces for well over two decades.

Science and Technology

[Jay Aspin, Conservative, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada under our Conservative government remains strong, proud and free.

Can the Minister of Industry update this House on how our government is ensuring that Canada remains a global leader in international space exploration?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has an extraordinarily proud history in space, and the future is even brighter. In this year's budget, we are supporting Canada's full participation in the European Space Agency, the James Webb space telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Today I was very proud to announce that Canada will be extending our full participation in the International Space Station through 2024. As a result of that, building on the legacy of success of Colonel Chris Hadfield as commander of the International Space Station, Canada will be sending two more astronauts to space: Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremy Hansen and Dr. David Saint-Jacques, who are with us today in Ottawa.

We wish them all the best as they go to space.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Members would do well to remember that it is for the Speaker to introduce guests and not for MPs.

The hon. member for Beaches—East York.

Transportation Safety

[Matthew Kellway, NDP, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Conservative government finally agreed to the NDP's long-standing proposal to give Transport Canada the power to order vehicle recalls. It is likely too little, too late, with little hope of passing this change in the dying days of the 41st Parliament. Instead, the legacy left by the current minister will be cuts to the motor vehicle safety program and the failure to improve vehicle safety in Canada.

Would the minister at least stop the cuts to Transport Canada and ensure that it has the staff resources necessary to enforce vehicle safety?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I can inform the House that according to Transport Canada's own documentation there will be zero changes in the number of people employed in motor vehicle safety in the next three years. In fact, we are doing very much to ensure that these people have the tools needed. That is why we are intent on introducing a bill that would address a problem that we have come across in the past number of years.

I find it audacious that the member opposite would indicate that he has been trying to move this forward when, indeed, the reality of the truth is he voted against the notice of compliance, the notice of defect regulations that we passed last year.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that it was the NDP that forced the government to take action.

The minister finally announced that she was introducing a bill to give Transport Canada the power to recall vehicles. However, what the minister did not say is that her department's budget for vehicle safety has been cut by nearly 35% since 2009. In 2009, there were 126 full-time employees. Today, we know there are far fewer.

How can the minister claim that fewer employees does not mean less oversight?

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, in the past six years and going forward, the number of full-time employees at Transport Canada and motor vehicle safety has not changed significantly at all. Indeed, as I already mentioned in my previous answer, and I will be clear again, the fact is that there will be no changes in the number of people working in motor vehicle safety in the coming years. In fact, we are seeking to increase their ability to ensure that they are working on behalf of the Canadian people and protecting Canadian consumers.

International Trade

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are continuing to negotiate the trans-Pacific partnership behind closed doors. They are still refusing to tell us whether they are really going to protect our supply management system. The meeting with the Conservative minister responsible for Quebec that took place over the weekend had a chilling effect on farmers: the minister told them that his government would have to make concessions for the trans-Pacific partnership to work.

Have the Conservatives decided to sacrifice supply management, yes or no?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, I want to again point out to my colleague that Canada has signed free trade agreements with a number of countries and that we have always promoted and protected the supply management system. We are doing the same thing in these negotiations. We are well aware of the importance of supply management for dairy, egg and poultry producers.

We are going to continue to defend this system as we have in the past, while ensuring that we sign an agreement that is in the best interests of all of Canada's industrial sectors—not just the agricultural sector, all of our industrial sectors.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, do the Conservatives understand that their refusal to protect supply management could result in the disappearance of 3,500 farms in Quebec alone?

A total of 7,000 farms in Quebec actively produce such products as milk, chicken and turkey under the supply management system. This represents approximately $3.2 billion in revenue. The supply management system has never been so threatened.

I would therefore like to repeat my simple question: have the Conservatives sacrificed supply management in this agreement?

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, when a government signs a free trade agreement with another country, it is because that agreement is good for the entire Canadian economy. I can assure members of the House that in the negotiations that are currently underway we are going to promote supply management and all of the other industrial sectors.

I would like to tell my colleague that the past is an indication of the future. We have signed agreements with over 37 countries and regions around the world, including the most recent agreement with the European Union. In all of those agreements, we have protected the supply management system, while allowing other industrial sectors to export their products to other countries without tariffs and without quotas.

Citizenship and Immigration

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the time that this government has been in power, Canadians have witnessed a decade of Conservative failures on immigration. Under the Conservative government, processing times for applications have increased by 70% for children and spouses and by 500% for parents and grandparents.

What have Canadians done to deserve a decade of Conservative failure on family reunification?

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Liberal governments, including the one the honourable member belonged to, always took immigrants for granted. The Liberals left us a backlog. They ignored abuses. They refused to strengthen the rules and, at the same time, did favours in exchange for political support. We have done the opposite. We have maintained an immigration record—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Markham—Unionville.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, nine years later it has nothing to do with the Liberals. We have had a decade of Conservatives' failure on refugees, an attack on refugee health care, no due process, foot-dragging on Syria, a decade of Conservatives' failure on citizenship, quadrupling of fees, doubling of wait times and unnecessary new barriers to citizenship. It has nothing to do with the Liberals. Why have Canadians had to endure a decade of Conservatives' failure on family unification, a decade of Conservatives' failure on refugees and—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, that member has been living in a parallel universe, obviously. The truth is that Liberal governments always took immigrants in this country for granted, including the government of which that member was a part. The Liberals left us backlogged. They turned a blind eye to abuse and when crisis came, they did favours only to their political friends. We on this side have taken action. We have sustained the highest levels of immigration in Canadian history. We have brought more parents and grandparents to this country than any government before in Canada. We will take no lessons from that member.

Air Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, a petition organized by the residents of Dorval with more than 12,000 signatures calls on the Minister of Transport to save the Dorval golf course. A very important green space in the area will disappear if the airport authority does not choose another site for its expansion. A delegation of more than 90 residents and local elected officials came to Ottawa today to convince the minister.

What will the minister do to help the people who came here today?