Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Bill C-49. It is interesting that the bill is entitled an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in parliament on December 10. I think it is important to mention that in view of September 11 and everything that has happened as a result of September 11, the government has spoken numerous times about making sure airports were secure in Canada. Shortly after we got back in September, the transport committee began holding meetings on airport security and a lot of things were brought forward.
In the government's news release on the budget implementation bill the number one item listed was to establish the Canadian air transport security authority which would deliver improved security at Canadian airports and on board flights. The second item was to implement the air traveller's security charge as of April 1, 2002, to fund the air security enhancements.
I suggest that when we look at the budget implementation bill, which contains about 110 pages, there are over 70 pages relating to the airport security agency and the collecting of the fee.
Nowhere in the bill does it say for sure that we will have improved training for airport security workers or that RCMP officers will be on flights when necessary. It also does not ensure that training will be improved. We see a lot of innuendo. The government has the audacity to say that it will deliver improved security at Canadians airports and then dedicates over 70 pages to the security agency, which, without a doubt, will be made up of Liberal appointees getting paid a darn fine salary for sitting on that agency with a couple of appointees by the airport authorities, the airport authorities that have been appointed by a Liberal government. Quite frankly that is no change to what we have. That is the status quo in my view as of September 11.
The airlines looked after airport security workers prior to September 11 and the security was contracted out to the lowest bidder. I do not blame airport security workers for September 11, not for a second. They were working under a set of rules that were in place and, for the most part, did their job as best they could.
Through the numerous witnesses we heard in the transport committee meetings, everyone maintained that there had to be improved working conditions, improved wages and improved training for airport security services. Everyone also maintained that there had to be a cohesive security package involved.
We should not have the RCMP doing one section, provincial police doing another section, security agents doing another section and possibly in another area some other security group.
The committee also felt that having airport authorities take over security was not the best route to go. Airport authorities also operate on a bottom line. Anybody who would suggest that one airport authority is not competing against another just has to look at Toronto and Hamilton where they are competing for the business. It is because those people who are on those authorities are being paid a darn fine salary. It is another level of management that has been put there to give jobs to a good many Liberals, although I am sure there is one token person who is not a Liberal, but, quite frankly, I find it appalling.
Something that is as important as the security of our nation and so important to improving the stability and confidence in the airline industry, and the government's approach is to let the airport authorities look after it again. The airport authorities can subcontract it out or the agency can subcontract to the airport authority which can subcontract it out to the lowest bidder. There is no guarantee.
Why on earth do we have security under the auspices of Transport Canada? What is wrong with this picture? We have a justice department and we have a solicitor general's department. Are they not the specialists in security and justice? The solicitor general's department should be the security specialist and should be in charge of security at our airports, our ports and at all federal installations.
How do hon. members feel about the Minister of Natural Resources being in charge of our health care or the minister of agriculture being in charge of communications? Something is wrong with this picture. Why on earth do we not have security under the solicitor general's department? Why are we adding another level of management that will be taking huge pay and not doing any better in providing security at our airports?
I am extremely disappointed that the government, as far as I am concerned, has exploited September 11. There is not a doubt in my mind. The finance minister and the cabinet saw another way of getting a little bit more money into general revenue coffers so they put in a $12 security tax. I need to clarify that. It is $11.22 security tax and on top of that will be the GST, which makes it $12.
Certainly, on something as important as airport security, Canadians should not be charged the GST. That rates up there with certain health care products and certain educational needs. It is just one more way of getting more money. The government has gone beyond being a government for the people, of providing services to Canadians, of providing good social policy and a good plan for this country. All it is out for now is to make a buck wherever it can get it out of the pockets of Canadians.
I am tired of hearing how much money we are saving on income tax. People may be saving $27 or $100 on their income tax each year but they are spending $200 to $300 in additional charges on things like NavCan fees, fees on some toll roads, increased health costs because so much has been cut, and increased education costs because there is no longer any fairness or equal distribution of dollars among the provinces. The government has less and less responsibility to put money back into the provinces for the needs of Canadians.
It is being set up as a place where the government can employ a few more people and give them a good wage to make it look good. The government wants the finance minister to make it look good because it has all this money sitting there. Of course it has the money. It is taking it out of the pockets of Canadians every day and not giving them back any services. Then they have to pay for those services again.
How could the Liberal government not have money? It has cut EI benefits. The benefits are so insufficient now that only one-third of unemployed people can collect EI. Workers in northern communities, where the cost of living is tremendously greater than other areas, have the same maximum earnings limit for collecting EI as everybody else.
We have a situation where a mine is closing in Leaf Rapids. A good number of workers have spent 20 some years in the north. Now they will try to collect EI. They will get their severance pay and will not be able to collect EI during the time they collect severance pay. They have to pay income tax on their severance pay. At a time when one is down an out, that is kind of annoying. If they have worked part of the year they have already reached that maximum allocation of money they earned and then they cannot collect EI. They go for months with no money or they have to go on welfare. They want to be an active part of society and work, but they have to go on welfare after working for years. Just because of cuts by the government, they have to go on welfare.
Obviously there is not near enough time to comment on everything that is or is not in the budget implementation bill screening but I do I want to mention one other aspect regarding the screening.
The equipment that the Government of Canada purchased for the screening of people going through airports will be turned over to the new agency which will then lease it out to the airport authorities, that will then increase the cost of airport fees to offset the costs of increased rents and fees for security equipment. It sounds like an awful lot of loan sharking on behalf of the Liberal government.
