Hélène Laverdière

[International Co-operation, April 15th, 2013]

In December of last year I asked the Minister of International Cooperation why the government had cut funding to the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, one of the pillars of the government’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy launched in 2009.

The response from the minister at the time was that Canadians can be proud of the results that their tax dollars are achieving abroad. What is funny is that the minister made no reference to the Centre for Excellence in his response. The term “corporate social responsibility” seems to have been banished from the Conservatives' vocabulary.

Since I asked this question, we have learned that five civil society organizations—Amnesty International, KAIROS, Mennonite Central Committee Canada, MiningWatch and the United Steelworkers—have left the centre’s executive committee due to the government’s refusal to fund the centre.

The Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility brought together mining companies, Canadian civil society groups and government representatives from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency. Frankly, it was the only working element of Canada's CSR policy.

The government has given no explanation for ending its support of the centre.

A multi-stakeholder approach is essential for dealing with the challenges inherent in developing a CSR policy. We need constructive engagement. We must encourage civil society to sit down with government and mining companies to develop a better policy based on international standards of transparency and accountability. We need all the actors at the table to advocate for responsible management of natural resources that would enable countries to derive and sustain social and economic benefits from their natural resources.

Just after announcing the end of funding for the centre, the government announced new funding to the tune of $25 million dollars over five years for the creation of a Canadian International Institute for Extractive Industries and Development. The money is clearly there. It is just that this government does not seem to want constructive engagement and a multi-stakeholder approach.

The fact is, this situation is a travesty. The Canadian brand is suffering abroad. Canadian companies are facing lawsuits and challenges in the area of human rights and environmental impacts. A transparent process that stakeholders and the public find to be credible would help improve Canada's image and would also help businesses that comply with the strictest standards.

Canadians want our companies to be successful and responsible representatives of Canada, and Canadian companies want clear and consistent standards for international business. We should facilitate this through a stronger CSR strategy, not by cutting one of the only good tools we have.

With this in mind, I ask the government why it has turned away from any semblance of a commitment to a strong CSR strategy. Will it reverse its decision to cut funding to the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility and admit that it was a very bad decision?

[International Co-operation, April 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only country in the world to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Half of the world's population lives in threatened areas, including here in Canada, in the Prairies. Significant scientific work is being conducted in connection with the convention with a view to offsetting the impact of climate change. The impact is real, despite what the Minister of Natural Resources thinks.

Why are the Conservatives turning their backs on international co-operation once again? Is it because they are afraid of science?

[International Co-operation, March 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives have completely isolated Canada from the rest of the world. Canada is withdrawing from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, particularly in Africa. It is unbelievable. Canada has become the only country that is not participating in this collective effort.

In October, in Dakar, the Prime Minister said that we would not abandon Africa. Why has he gone back on his promise? Why is he abandoning the most vulnerable people on this planet?

[International Trade, March 27th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Finance went to South Korea to avoid talking about his budget, he claimed that Canada was close to signing a free trade agreement with that country. However, negotiations have been deteriorating for years and are far from over. With the Conservatives at the helm, Canada's trade surplus has turned into a $67 billion annual trade deficit.

When will the Conservatives admit that they have failed to put in place a trade policy that benefits Canadians?

[St-Pierre Centre, March 25th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to acknowledge the 40th anniversary of a very important establishment in my riding, Centre St-Pierre.

Centre St-Pierre was founded in 1973 in response to the social transformation of Montreal's south-central neighbourhood and has since become a fixture in the community. Every year, over 150,000 people are drawn to the centre to do their part in creating a more just and democratic society that is more responsive to the well-being of individuals.

It is a centre for public education that provides training, support and community outreach.

The centre provides a wealth of resources and serves as a forum for the social movement and a popular meeting place for agencies and associations from all backgrounds.

I am very proud to celebrate the centre's 40th anniversary, and I acknowledge the importance of its mission and the strength of its values.

[International Co-operation, March 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, merging CIDA with DFAIT could have been a perfect opportunity to bolster the image of international development under the direction of an excellent minister. However, given the Conservatives' appalling record when it comes to international development, we can just forget about that. They have slashed the aid budget, linked that aid to the interests of large corporations and politicized the funding process.

Will the minister commit to focusing his efforts on what—

[International Co-operation, March 19th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, this past year, over 70% of partnership projects submitted to CIDA took more than 10 months to be approved by the minister. Proposals are piling up on his desk. Furthermore, the last call for tenders from NGOs under the social development partnerships program was two years ago.

How much money will CIDA lose at the end of the fiscal year due to the minister's incompetence?

[Petitions, March 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today I have the great honour to present an impressive petition calling on the government to cancel budget cuts to international development.

This petition has almost 400 signatures and was given to me at an event held on Parliament Hill that was part of a large campaign to cancel the cuts. I have seen the results of the campaign. I was at the event, which was attended by so many people that they were standing and the room was overflowing. I have seen this campaign unite so many Canadians from across the country who believe that Canada can make a difference in the world and that it has a role to play.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, March 8th, 2013]

With respect to the Partnership with Canadians program at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), for each year from 2006 to 2012: (a) how many calls for proposals were issued, broken down by year and type of call for proposal; (b) how many proposals were received, broken down by year and type of call for proposal; and (c) how many proposals were approved, broken down by (i) year, (ii) partner, (iii) type of call for proposal, (iv) total dollar amount contributed by CIDA, (v) total dollar amount contributed by partner, (vi) description of project, (vii) recipient country, (viii) CIDA priority theme or cross cutting theme, (ix) length of days of approval, (x) length of project, (xi) grant or contribution?

[National Defence, March 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of mismanagement Conservatives are having a tough time explaining. They are still pushing the F-35, a plane U.S. test pilots said cannot fly through clouds and cannot operate below 15°. Pilots reported, “Aft visibility will get the pilot gunned every time”. This plane just does not work.

Will that be taken into account before the government rolls ahead with another sole-source contract?