Brian Jean

[Shipping Industry, June 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am more than happy to get back to the member in relation to specifics on that issue, but let us be clear. This is an issue that the government will deal with, and it will deal with it in the best interests of Canadians.

[Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, June 5th, 2009]

First of all, Mr. Speaker, we do take this issue very seriously. Indeed, the minister of state has already spoken to the CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. We want to assure all Canadians that an external audit is being done. Once that is done, we will make the findings and the results public.

[Infrastructure, June 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, that is ironic coming from the NDP members who voted against our budget and tried to do everything they could to stop it.

We have actually doubled the tax gas fund, and we accelerated the spending by three months. The money is already flowing. Get with the picture.

[Infrastructure, June 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our government is delivering a real plan of action that will stimulate economic growth, create jobs and support Canadian families. Most important, we are doing it 10 times faster than any Liberal government ever did. We are cutting red tape that Liberals put in place. We have made it a one page application.

We are working with our partners at the municipal, provincial and territorial levels. We are taking action where the Liberals failed continuously.

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, June 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am standing because the member asked for a Conservative member of the government to talk about costs. What I find most bizarre is that it would be an NDP member asking about costs, because the NDP is usually the last party in this place to care about what it costs for anything to be put in place.

While we are talking about that particular situation and the cost, I want to talk about the cost of losing a husband, father, mother or daughter while shopping on the streets of Toronto, or the cost of a repeat drunk driver. We know that statistic is far too high. Let us talk about the cost of a drug deal gone bad and somebody being killed or shot, or indeed, losing another family member.

Those are the costs that we need to talk about, the cost of protecting victims from people who continue to do random violent things against society. That is the cost we need to talk about in this place, not the cost of sending these people to jail if they have committed a violent crime or a crime where they need to go to jail and need to rehabilitate. That is the cost that we need to talk about.

It is the Conservative government that stands up to talk about that cost. I invite the member of the NDP to stand up and talk about that cost, the cost to victims of not implementing this type of legislation, because it has been going on far too long. I would like him to talk about that cost.

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, June 4th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address this issue.

I was curious about issues presented by the hon. member. He seemed to have two different issues in his comments, one in regard to minimum sentences and the other in regard to having enough facilities and enough concentration on rehabilitation.

I also had the opportunity of being a criminal lawyer in northern Alberta where 25% of the population is aboriginal, and I have seen the large proportion of aboriginals in that particular area who go to jail. It is not acceptable.

Many of those aboriginals are my family members. I remember one in particular who spent two and a half years in jail for a simple assault. In fact, he was rehabilitated. He spent time in Drumheller, in the correctional centre there, and he came out rehabilitated. He now has a wonderful family with five children, and he is doing very well. He is sober. Things are looking much better for him.

Indeed, I have had the opportunity to see it both from a family perspective and also as a criminal lawyer. I had a very active practice there.

I saw inconsistencies across the country. I saw individuals being convicted of a trafficking charge in Vancouver receiving a fine, and individuals with a trafficking conviction in Alberta receiving a year in jail for the same type of offence.

I think we need to stand up for victims in this country and we need to have consistency across the country. I want to ask the member, particularly because I do have the experience, why is he not in this particular case standing up for victims? He is talking about criminals and about not enough being put aside for rehabilitation.

By the way, this government has allocated a tremendous amount of money for new prisons and rehabilitation, and we are looking at different ways to help prisoners once they are in there.

We want to stand up for victims before it happens, before there is a re-offence. I am wondering why in this particular case the member is not thinking about the victims instead of the criminals.

[June 3rd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, no matter how aggravated the member gets, it will not change that. This government's position is to treat all airports fairly. In fact, we cannot move forward with this application until Transport Canada receives an official request for funding from the airport authorities. We have to treat all Canadians and all Canadian airport authorities fairly. We have to receive an official request for funding from the airport authority under the airports capital assistance program.

Once an official request has been made and has been received, this government will then be able to ascertain and be in a position to perform an evaluation of the project's eligibility within the context of the program criteria, compared to other places in Canada that are just as eligible, but the application has to be made.

I should also take this opportunity to remind the member opposite of the unprecedented work this government has done to improve our infrastructure in her home province of Quebec. In fact, just yesterday in Quebec City the Minister of Public Works and Government Services announced an agreement with the province of Quebec for $2.75 billion in infrastructure projects throughout the province over the next two years, which is great news. We do work in co-operation and we can get the job done, unlike the Bloc.

[June 3rd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to address the question of the member opposite, which she raised in April, regarding the Saint-Hubert Longueuil airport.

I understand the member's position on this issue because I represent Fort McMurray—Athabasca, as members know, which is 6% of the gross domestic product of the country. It has one single runway, which is the busiest runway in North America. Indeed, approximately 5,000 Quebeckers work directly, or indirectly, in the oil sands and use that airport from time to time, in fact, on a weekly basis, to bring home money and themselves to their families. Therefore, I do understand what the member opposite is talking about in relation to priorities and the necessity of keeping the economy going and investing in places that are necessary for the economy, especially during a time like this.

I am pleased to say that under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Conservative cabinet our government has made significant investments in Canada's airports through the airports capital assistance program. Under this program, as she knows, eligible airports can receive funding for capital projects related to safety, the protection of assets and the reduction of operating costs.

This program invests nearly $30 million annually and helps close to 100 airports across the country. In fact, in Quebec, the member opposite's home province, more than 30 airports have benefited from this funding, including the Saint-Hubert airport. This year ACAP will provide $8 million of financial assistance to airports in the province of Quebec. Other airports are in priority and are in line for this funding.

In the past two years, the Saint-Hubert airport has benefited from the airports capital assistance program. This allowed it to purchase important pieces of equipment, equipment it prioritized, in order to keep travellers safe and sound, which is the priority of this government. We want to keep Canadians safe and secure, and we are doing exactly that.

No other official request, at this time, for the rehabilitation of airport infrastructure has been received under this program. Transport Canada does evaluate all official requests received from any airport according to fairness and to the airports capital assistance program criteria, and Saint-Hubert is no exception, just as all airports across the country that serve Canadians from coast to coast to coast are no exception.

Funding is also available under the local and regional airports category of the building Canada and the infrastructure stimulus funds. In fact, there is more assistance available. This Conservative government continues to work actively with our partners in the provinces, territories and municipalities to identify such projects to be considered under these two funding initiatives.

The question is this. Why did that member and her party vote against that assistance? Our Conservative government remains committed to ensuring the safety and the security of all Canadians and treating all Canadians and all Canadian airports fairly. By investing in our airports through the airports capital assistance program and other infrastructure programs, we will be able to enhance and maintain Canada's already very great, enviable safety record and we will treat all Canadians fairly.

[Adjournment Proceedings, May 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, based on my experience in the House and seeing what has happened before, I can assure the member that if Liberal cheque promises could be cashed, every Canadian would be a multi-millionaire by now. However, that is not the case.

We are moving 10 times faster than any government in history. We are getting the job done for Canadians. We are taking serious action across the country, not just in Liberal ridings. In fact, there are 140 projects in British Columbia with joint funding of $290 million. In Nova Scotia, there are 26 projects with joint funding of $55.8 million. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are 22 projects, including joint funding of $106.5 million. In Alberta, there is $160 million. In Manitoba, there are 24 projects with $160 million.

In a very short period of time we are getting the job done. Even in Ontario, there are 2,700 project proposals from 425 municipalities province wide. We are setting records, getting Canadians to work and doing it in record time.

[Adjournment Proceedings, May 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the question raised by the member for Willowdale sometime back in March, and I am pleased to do so.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind hon. members of the efforts of this government and the tremendous efforts it has taken since introducing budget 2009 in January. We have taken real efforts to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and support Canadian families where they need it most.

Budget 2009 provided almost $12 billion in new infrastructure funding over the next two years. This includes a $4 billion infrastructure stimulus fund to help provinces, territories and municipalities get projects started as soon as possible. This is tremendous because this is new money to stimulate economic growth.

Further, the budget provided $2 billion to accelerate construction at colleges at universities so that Canadians can get more education during this time of economic downturn.

Third, the budget provided $1 billion to create a new green infrastructure fund. Canadians and Conservatives from coast to coast are adamant on having a new and better green future.

Finally, the budget provided $500 million to support construction of new community recreational facilities and upgrades to existing facilities, as many places in Canada need upgraded facilities. Some communities do not have facilities. This is a very important for families.

Since the budget was originally tabled, it should be clear to the member opposite that we are taking serious action. In fact, we have announced more than 950 projects across the country worth almost $3 billion in combined funding. I believe the records will show that the Liberals, when in government, never spent over $2.3 billion in any given year. We did it in just months. This includes notable projects like the Sheppard East light-rail transit line that will extend the Sheppard subway line out to Scarborough and into the member's riding, which is good news. I see that she is giving us the thumbs up on that.

We also doubled the gas tax fund, which she talked about, from $1 billion to $2 billion per year. In fact, we accelerated it because we listened to municipalities from coast to coast. We accelerated the first payment to municipalities from July 1 to April 1. That is great news for them. It is more money more quickly to start action quicker and get shovels in the ground. This is money paid directly into the pockets of municipalities, which they have been asking for and which this government delivered on.

We are continuing to work with our colleagues at provincial and municipal levels, including the member's own premier, Mr. McGuinty, in order to cut red tape and get projects moving as soon as possible. A big part of the success of this approach involves working with our partners. We work with the provinces, territories and municipalities in order to get the job done in the best interests of Canadians. By doing this, we will be able to invest three times more to do more projects and create three times more jobs.

We are only seven weeks into the fiscal year. We are getting the job done for Canadians and we are doing it in record time.