Colin Carrie

[October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I hope to give the hon. member a deeper response this evening. I wish to assure the House that the health and safety of Canadians is paramount to this government.

It has long been known that increased exposure to sunlight during the summer can cause a myriad of health problems and that added protection from UV rays by using sunscreen products has been strongly recommended.

Health Canada regulates the safety, effectiveness and quality of sunscreens in Canada. Sunscreen products are classified as drugs and must meet the requirements set out in Canada's Food and Drugs Act before they can be imported, advertised or sold in this country. Sunscreens may contain one or several UVB filters and are often enriched with UVA filters. In Canada sunscreens are approved by Health Canada and must meet the criteria identified in the department's sunburn protectants monograph.

Therefore, to answer one of the questions the member asked tonight, this monograph outlines both acceptable sunscreen ingredients and their concentrations as well as the required labelling such as directions for use, acceptable claims, cautions and warnings.

There are currently over 500 different sunscreen products authorized for sale from different manufacturers in Canada. Medicinal ingredients in sunscreen products are recognized to absorb ultraviolet A or UVA and/or ultraviolet B or UVB rays.

For drug products, including sunscreens, manufacturers must present Health Canada with evidence to support the safety, efficacy and quality of the products before they can be authorized for sale. This information is then conveyed to consumers through product labels.

Additionally, the department routinely performs assessments of drug products after they are approved for sale to look at any adverse events that may occur. It should be noted that to date there is no clear evidence linking the presence of the medicinal ingredients in authorized sunscreen products to the occurrence of skin irritation or cancer.

Health Canada takes adverse events reports very seriously. We strongly urge Canadians to report these unfortunate events with full details to Health Canada so that the issues can be properly investigated.

Exposure to UV light is the main cause of skin cancer. It can also cause tanning, sunburn, premature skin aging, eye damage, and a decrease in the immune system response. Health Canada continues to advise Canadians of the importance of using sunscreen products along with other sun avoidance methods to help reduce the risk associated with UV exposure.

It is paramount that Canadians use a common sense approach and a balanced approach to sun exposure.

This evening I was at the Health Charities Coalition of Canada speaking to the president of the MS Society. We found out, recently, with research, that vitamin D is very important and perhaps preventative for MS.

Therefore, the member brings up a very important question. He brings up a question that affects each and everyone of us as Canadians, but there is still a lot to be learned.

I would encourage him to encourage his constituents to follow up with any allergic reactions and let Health Canada know. There are reporting mechanisms for that and Health Canada is always looking to ensure that the products on the market are first of all safe and effective, and are what they claim to be because the health and safety of Canadians is our utmost priority.

[Points of Order, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, October 2, I responded to a question regarding Bill C-32, which is currently in the Senate. I said that Bill C-32 had passed the Senate with no amendments. I should have said that Bill C-32 had passed the Senate committee with no amendments.

[Tobacco Products, October 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the member is being totally ridiculous. After 13 years of doing absolutely nothing to protect our children, it was this Conservative government that put this bill forward. I would like to remind him that this bill passed through the House and passed through the Senate without amendment. He has to get his facts right.

[Tobacco Products, October 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, during the last election we committed to take real action to protect our young people from tobacco marketing practices. We recently announced that our government will crack down on the marketing strategies used by tobacco companies to entice our youth.

Promises were made and promises were kept. This will include setting a minimum package size for cigarillos and blunts that is less affordable for children, prohibiting flavour and additives that would appeal to children, and banning all tobacco advertising and promotion that may be viewed by youth.

Thanks to the action of this Conservative government, Canada is a world leader in tobacco control and we are very proud of that.

[Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, September 29th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I was very interested in my colleague's speech because he said that the goal of a free trade agreement should be to bring everyone up.

What we are looking at here is an agreement that was negotiated between two free countries that are able to make their decisions. In chapter 16, articles 1603 and 1604 talk about the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement and it sets out the two countries' objectives and obligations with respect to labour. The labour agreement covers the right to freedom of association, collective bargaining, the abolition of child labour, elimination of discrimination, providing protections for occupational safety and health, and minimum employment standards such as minimum wages and overtime pay.

What we have in front of us is an agreement that was negotiated by two countries and agreed to by both countries. I do not understand the NDP's rationale here. We have two countries that agree to a free trade agreement and agree that it will bring both countries up.

If there is a fair trade agreement template out there that the countries agree to but it is not good enough for the NDP, who should be negotiating these free trade agreements around the world? Should it be two independent countries that agree on it or should the NDP negotiate it?

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 29th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[Employment Insurance Act, September 17th, 2009]

Thirty seconds for a politician is very difficult, Madam Speaker, but I will do my best.

He mentions people running out of EI. I had the opportunity to talk to people in my community, particularly laid-off auto workers. That is exactly the situation they are facing right now and that is why this is so important. That is exactly what this bill does. It allows auto workers in Oshawa who are running out of benefits to extend them while they continue looking for work.

[Employment Insurance Act, September 17th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I do not know where the member has been. The minister has actually done that. He has outlined how the deficit will decrease over the next few years.

It is almost humourous, because anybody who has been paying attention in the House knows that the Liberal Party wants more spending. They want more unaccountable spending.

They are willing to take this government down or are proposing to. They would like to have a 45-day work year. Just imagine what would happen to the system if this actually happened. The cost to the public purse would be unsustainable.

I mentioned in my speech that back in the 1970s the Liberals proposed a similar change to the Unemployment Insurance Act and it took years for our economy to recover.

We are putting these temporary measures in so that once the economy is increasing and moving forward, we will be able to respond with balanced budgets, because that is what this government is all about, accountability and responsibility to the—

[Employment Insurance Act, September 17th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, in my area of Oshawa a lot of workers have been affected through this economic downturn. We have different industries and different companies. What is important for this government is that we give workers choices.

The member mentioned severance. Some people who are laid off may choose to keep their severance and move on with that. What we are doing as a government is strategically offering workers choices. During this tough economic time, they are going to be able to move in a way that they see as appropriate. In my community we have a wonderful community college and a university. Some workers may choose to get retraining.

The purpose of this bill and all the other measures we have put forward is to help communities like mine in Oshawa that have been severely affected through this economic downturn and need choices for different people at different times in their life.

I would really encourage this member, and I hear that perhaps the NDP would be supporting this bill. We are hopeful that they do support this bill, because this bill and this type of reform are very important for people in my community of Oshawa.

[Employment Insurance Act, September 17th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for Oshawa, it is with great pleasure that I extend my full support for Bill C-50.

This bill will provide further assistance through employment insurance to workers particularly affected by the economic downturn.

The new temporary measure we are introducing through the bill will help Canadian workers who have contributed to the economy for years and years and who, through no fault of their own, find themselves unemployed.

Bill C-50 offers the right and fair way to ensure that the EI program is responsive and responsible. It is responsive to the needs of those long-tenured workers, like the ones in Oshawa, who have contributed to the EI program for a long period of time and have made little if any use of it. It is responsible to all Canadian taxpayers.

Let me follow up on some of assertions made today by one of my hon. colleagues across the floor.

The member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour stood in the House and with great flourish tried to assert once again the Liberal monopoly on compassion. He went on to say that the Liberal Party scheme to create a 45-day work year was sensible, adding that the government was playing political chess.

The only people playing political games in the House are the members of the opposition who are refusing to be forthright with the Canadian people. This government is taking action to help Canadians after the member opposite walked away from the unemployed. The member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour walked away from 190,000 long-tenured workers. That is shameful. He may call this nothing but this government finds that notion offensive.

I would like to remind the member that it was his party that implemented the failed EI policies of the 1970s that had a catastrophic effect on the Canadian economy. Thirty years later in a blatant political positioning manoeuvre, it was the Leader of the Opposition who proposed similar measures during a global economic downturn. I ask, who is playing political games?

This government is protecting unemployed workers. The Leader of the Official Opposition has shown once again he is in this for himself. Here is the action this government is taking with Bill C-50.

Long-tenured workers will now get the additional support of extended weeks of EI while they look for work. The proposed temporary measure would extend nationally regular benefits for long-tendered workers by between five and twenty weeks. Depending on the length of time claimants have paid EI premiums, the more weeks of benefits they will receive.

Our goal is to ensure that people get these extended weeks of benefits as soon as possible. Through this bill these workers who have contributed to the economy, many of them for decades, will have a longer time to seek alternative employment.

The temporary measure that we are introducing today shows that the EI program is able to provide support to those most in need when they need it most.

We have a record of making fair and timely improvements to EI. Through Canada's economic action plan alone we have provided longer EI benefits, more efficient service, support for training, and protection of jobs through work sharing agreements. We have also have introduced the career transition assistance initiative that provides two timely measures. One extends EI benefits to a maximum of two years while workers participate in longer term training. The other provides earlier access to EI to long-tenured workers who invest all or part of their severance packages in training.

Let us also remember that a key component to our action plan provides five additional weeks of EI benefits to regular beneficiaries. In areas of high unemployment, the maximum duration of benefits has been extended from 45 to 50 weeks.

The work sharing program is another way we are helping workers stay in the labour force. It does so by offering EI income support to workers who are willing to work a reduced work week.

Under Canada's economic action plan we have made changes to the program that allows more flexibility for employers' recovery plans. Agreements have also been extended by an additional 14 weeks to maximize benefits during this economic downturn. This measure allows employers to retain employees, therefore avoiding expensive rehiring and retraining costs. In turn, employees are able to continue working and keep their skills up to date. These are people who would rather work a shortened work week and get a little less income than to be laid off. Work sharing makes that possible. Right now there are close to 5,800 active work sharing agreements across this country benefiting more than 165,000 Canadians.

We know that good programs and service are especially important in difficult economic times. Our government has acted quickly on both counts.

Our government is also helping older workers make the transition to new careers. Through the targeted initiative for older workers the government is providing an additional $60 million over three years to help workers aged 55 to 64 years get the skills upgrading and the work experience necessary to make the transition to new employment.

We have also expanded this initiative's reach so that the communities with a population lower than 250,000 are now eligible for funding. With this change an additional 250 communities could be included in the program, depending on provincial and territorial participation. This is especially valuable for my area of Oshawa.

Under the economic action plan, workers will also benefit from an increase in funding for skills training. With our strategic training and transition fund, we will be investing to help individuals, whether or not they are eligible for employment insurance, get training and other support measures.

Our economic action plan offers an additional 2,000 apprenticeship completion grants to apprentices who successfully complete an apprenticeship program in a “red seal” trade. This builds on the existing apprenticeship incentive grant. An apprentice could now receive a total of $4,000 in grants through both these programs. Up to 20,000 Canadians could take advantage of this latest grant. This is great news from my community in Oshawa.

The Government of Canada is also protecting jobs and supporting businesses in key sectors of our economy that are in difficulty, such as forestry, farming and mining, and the automotive industry. To help them we are providing a two-year community adjustment fund that will support economic diversification in communities affected by the decline in their local industries.

This bill is another example of how we are taking action to help Canadians now. We are responding quickly with measures to meet current needs. I ask members to join me in supporting Bill C-50 and helping these workers.