Debates of June 3rd, 2015

Consumer Protection

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing standing between now and the end of unfair pay-to-pay fees is these Conservatives right here.

While I appreciate their support for the motion, let us be clear. If the government is serious about standing up for hard-working people, will the minister pass legislation before the summer that stops banks from picking the pockets of Canadians with these unfair fees?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, we have obtained a voluntary agreement from the banks not to impose pay-to-pay fees. I am not sure whether the opposition is listening.

It is also the kind of issue that we may include in the mandatory consumer protection framework.

We have also introduced tough measures to protect Canadians, including implementing low-cost banking accounts and free banking services for over seven million Canadians.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Andrew Cash, NDP, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure where that agreement came from with the banks. Is it some kind of nudge, nudge, wink, wink deal? We do not know. We have not seen it. We want a mandatory code. That is what the government agreed to yesterday. We want to see it happen.

Now, onto another issue. The government has supported adoptions from many Muslim countries. Nusrat Munshi has been working for two years to bring her child home with no success.

Other countries, like the United States and the United Kingdom, have figured this out and allowed legal recognition of guardianship for children from Muslim countries. Why has this government not?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would do well not to spread disinformation. Adoptions continue to happen in Canada in large numbers, including from many Muslim majority countries.

However, those adoptions have to respect the national law of those countries, international conventions on adoption and the law of children, and Canadian law.

When any of those requirements is not met, the adoption will not take place.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister would have us believe that there is nothing more he can do in this case, and that is shameful. The situation can and must be resolved. If the minister does not know how to do that, he can look at what is being done in the United States and the United Kingdom because they managed to solve this problem. In 2013, this government stopped recognizing adoptions of Pakistani children, which means that parents have been separated from their adoptive children for months or even years.

Will the minister show some leadership in this matter, solve the problem and allow these parents to live in Canada with their adopted children?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have here two New Democrat MPs who, instead of looking after the interests of real people and real families with concerns by coming and talking to us about specific cases, would rather talk about these situations in the House. They know full well that we cannot comment on individual cases in the House. They are also quite familiar with the adoption rules.

If they have cases they need help with, they should come and talk to us about them instead of turning other people's family lives into a partisan issue.

The Economy

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the OECD has cut its 2015 GDP forecast for Canada to a dismal 1.5%. By way of excuse, the minister today claimed, “We are doing better than most developed countries”. That is simply not true. The OECD puts us behind Australia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S. and yes, even Spain.

This is no global problem, as the government likes to pretend to excuse its shoddy management. This is a made-in-Canada runway to recession.

When will the finance—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The Minister of Finance.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, if I understand the member opposite correctly, she seems to think that Canada is an island and that we are not in any way affected, even though we are great trading nation, by what is going on in the rest of the world. That may be the Liberal view, but we live in a global world and of course we are affected by it.

Our government is focused on what matters to Canadians: jobs and economic growth. Our plan is training, trade and low taxes. We have created 1.2 million net new jobs. According to the International Labour Organization global wage report, Canada has the second best paid—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Kings—Hants.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian economy shrank last quarter. We are halfway to a recession. TD, BMO, CIBC and the OECD have all downgraded their projections for Canada.

TD is saying that while the headline growth number was bad, the underlying details were worse, yet yesterday the Minister of Finance, ignoring mounting evidence, predicted growth this quarter.

Why will he not tell Canadians the truth, that the economy has flatlined and we are teetering on recession? Why is he refusing to provide a real plan for jobs and growth? Does he think wishful thinking is a replacement for a plan?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, it is really rich for the Liberals and the NDP to be accusing our job creation record. They have voted against every job creation measure our government put forward, including freezing EI rates, tax cuts for manufacturers, $75 billion in stable and predictable job creating infrastructure, the LNG, accelerated capital cost allowance.

The Liberals would introduce increased taxes through payroll taxes, an increase in mandatory CPP.

His leader thinks that budgets—

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The hon. member for Burnaby—Douglas.

Science and Technology

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby—Douglas, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say thousands of Canada's top social scientists are in Ottawa today sharing their latest innovations in their field. They conduct exceptional research on the defining social and economic issues of our time.

Social science research is critical to understanding our society and growing our economy, but of course the Conservatives do not share this view. Since 2007, base funding for the three research granting councils has been slashed by millions, not to mention killing off the long form census.

Why are Conservatives undercutting Canadian social scientists with their reckless cuts to research?

[Ed Holder, Conservative, Minister of State (Science and Technology)]

Mr. Speaker, I absolutely have to say that what that member just said is just not true. We have made record investments in science, technology, and innovation. We have massive, significant legacy funding in the 2014 economic action plan and the 2015 economic action plan.

When it comes to support for scientists and innovation, this government stands tall and stands proud.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister of state is the one who is wrong. The current government does not provide adequate support for the humanities and social sciences, and the figures speak for themselves.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council saw its budget cut by nearly $50 million. Furthermore, in 2013, a Conservative Party insider said that there were too many young people in university and not enough young welders.

When will this government stop denigrating our humanities and social science researchers and start recognizing their contributions?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, we have made unprecedented investments to support our scientists, particularly in budget 2015.

My hon. colleagues, both the member for Burnaby—Douglas and the member who just spoke, talked about social sciences.

We are very proud, for example, of the appointments that we have just made to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council: Julia Foster, the new chair, and Tracy Summerville, from our home province of British Columbia, a brilliant academic from Prince George who is going to do fantastic work there for all Canadians in the advancement of science and the advancement of discovery for all Canadians.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to read that in my province of Saskatchewan, police know it is their job to enforce the law and shut down marijuana storefronts operating in our cities.

Can the Minister of Health please update the House on the serious health risks of smoking marijuana?

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.

Of course, the report from the health committee that outlined expert testimony makes it clear that when youth smoke marijuana, there is an increased risk of mental health issues, including psychosis and schizophrenia.

Unlike the Liberal leader, who wants to normalize the smoking of pot by legalizing it and making it available in storefronts just like alcohol and cigarettes, this Conservative government will make sure that storefronts selling marijuana remain illegal. We expect all police to enforce the law.

Public Safety

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow will be the sad anniversary of the tragic shooting in Moncton in which three RCMP officers were killed in the line of duty.

The report on that tragedy made many of the same recommendations found in the report on the shooting in Mayerthorpe, where four officers died eight and a half years earlier. Now the RCMP faces charges under the Canada Labour Code for inadequate training and equipment.

Ultimately, responsibility rests with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Why has the minister failed the RCMP and its funding needs? Why is the government not providing enough money to the RCMP for training and equipment so that its officers can protect themselves?

[Roxanne James, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, it is rather unfortunate that the member has posed that question on the eve of the day that we should be honouring the three fallen RCMP members who lost their lives in the line of duty.

That said, our Conservative government has full confidence in the RCMP to enforce the laws of Canada and keep all Canadians safe.

The RCMP commissioned a report into this incident and is acting upon those recommendations.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Tibetans in my community are worried about their loved ones following the devastating earthquake in Nepal. They are concerned that their families, even those who qualify for expedited family reunification, might not get to Canada, because as refugees, many do not have the necessary travel documents.

Tibetan refugees in Nepal are facing exceptional and urgent circumstances. What will the minister do to cut through the red tape and help reunite these families?

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

Mr. Speaker, we continue to be very concerned about the situation in Nepal, about reuniting families affected by the disaster there, and about Tibetan populations facing hardship at home, in Nepal, and in India. That is why, thanks to an initiative of my predecessor, we have committed ourselves to the largest resettlement program of Tibetan refugees in Canadian history.

I was pleased to organize an information session very recently in that member's riding to help resolve these issues of documentation.

Employment

[Pat Perkins, Conservative, Whitby—Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have written to Premier Kathleen Wynne warning that her plan to expand mandatory pension contributions would kill jobs and increase the cost of doing business. Could the Minister of Employment and Social Development please update this House on our government's plan to support job growth in the auto industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank that member for her hard work on behalf of auto workers. I am happy to report that according DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, “The Canadian new vehicle market remains to be on track for the bestselling year ever”.

Our low-tax plan is working. However, the Liberals are planning a new tax that will throw auto workers out of a job. The Windsor Star stated:

The local Chamber of Commerce and auto sector companies are warning Premier Kathleen Wynne a new provincial plan could lead to layoffs or cutbacks in Windsor's fragile auto sector.

The Liberal leader has endorsed that proposed payroll tax of $1,000 for every worker. We will fight to stop it.