John Baird

[Foreign Affairs, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, let me answer that question from my friend from Ottawa Centre very directly. The answer is no. From time to time, we have concerns about actions of certain UN agencies, but by and large we have a very good relationship with the UN.

Canada has been a strong supporter of the Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, both diplomatically and financially. We have been a strong supporter of the work of Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General, in her work on humanitarian relief. We have been a strong supporter of the United Nations World Food Programme. Canada is the second largest supporter of the excellent work that program does.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Elections Canada will look into these matters, as it properly should. It operates as an arm's-length body not of the government but rather of Parliament. We will let it do its work.

I can tell members about the member for Peterborough and all of us on this side of the House. We are focused on job creation and economic growth. We are pleased with the 36,000 new manufacturing jobs created last month. That is not enough. We must remain focused on job creation and economic growth. We will continue to do so because Canadian families from coast to coast to coast want more jobs and want to be able to provide for their families.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it will not come as any surprise to the member opposite that the member he refers to has been very clear that he followed all of the rules and that his 2008 election expenses were fully within the legal limits, fully reported and fully audited.

While this individual member has been fully transparent, we all work with him and know him to be a person of high integrity and held in high regard. Certainly, if his standard of honesty and integrity were followed by all members of the House, this House would be a better place.

[The Environment, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have had an unprecedented amount of debate on this year's budget, on economic action plan 2012, on the budget itself and the debate. After the Minister of Finance gave a speech of less than one hour, the opposition had its opportunity to begin debate. What did it do? It had one of its critics filibuster for three full days. That does not show a lot of respect for taxpayers.

Our budget, budget 2012, is focused on jobs and the economy. Today we saw the creation of 36,000 net new jobs in the manufacturing sector. That is good news for Canada's economy. That is nothing more than a good start. That is why we remain focused, like a laser, on job creation and economic growth and will continue to do so.

[The Environment, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have brought forward some common sense reforms to environmental approvals, including in the Fisheries Act, to ensure that we focus on protecting fish habitat and not on over-regulating farmers. We believe that the focus of federal regulation should be on fish and fish habitat rather than making bizarre rulings and whatnot into standard agricultural practices on farmers. That is exactly what we are doing. We think it is the right thing to do. We think it is popular. We think it is important to our economic development. We have seen 7,700 net new jobs created. That is a good start. We remain focused on jobs and the economy.

[The Environment, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, there is no shortage of environmental advocacy organizations, science-based organizations, advocacy organizations and public policy think tanks in Canada and around the world that can inform this valuable policy development. We certainly think that a lot has changed in the last 25 years.

I particularly liked Bob Mills when he spoke so passionately against the Kyoto protocol. I wonder whether my friend opposite agrees with Bob Mills on that?

[Infrastructure, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, what the Liberal Party did was bring in a one-time, five-year program to support infrastructure in our municipalities. It was this Conservative government that made that program permanent. It was this Conservative government that doubled the support to Canadian municipalities. When the economic downturn happened, it was this government that made unprecedented partnerships with municipal governments from coast to coast to coast to ensure that municipalities could build the infrastructure that they need, to help to create jobs and opportunities.

It was an unqualified success, and the minister is now consulting on a post-2014 plan.

[Infrastructure, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, no government has provided more support to Canadian municipalities than this government led by this Prime Minister.

The Liberals came forward with a one-time, five-year infrastructure program for the gas tax. This government not only kept our commitment to support that initiative, we doubled it and we made it permanent. In addition to that, at the height of the economic downturn, this government gave unprecedented support to Canadian municipalities for infrastructure. More infrastructure has been accomplished in the last six years under this Prime Minister than at any other period in the post-world war era.

[The Budget, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I, like all members of the House, did miss the participation of the deputy leader of the New Democratic Party. I am so thrilled to see her back in her place today.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of the Environment appeared before the committee, as ministers always do when budgets are presented. They have appeared in this House each and every day, they or their parliamentary secretaries, to be accountable, to be responsive to members of this House.

What we want to focus on, though, is not process. We want to focus on building long-term prosperity for this great country. We are pleased with the economic growth of 1.9% we saw in the first quarter. More work remains to be done. Let us focus, like a laser, on job creation and on economic growth.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at what the government is doing. We are introducing changes that will focus our fish and fish habitat protection rules on fisheries, not on farmers. The current rules do not distinguish between vital waterways, lakes and rivers that support local fisheries, and drainage ditches, man-made reservoirs and irrigation channels that are not even home to fish.

What we are doing is trying to focus fisheries protection on fish habitat, not on farmers' fields.