Lois Brown

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke a little bit about the tax credit for search and rescue. I know that he lives in Vancouver, so he is right next to the ocean. I wonder if he could talk a little bit more about how that tax credit would be of assistance to the people living in his riding.

[Eleanor Milne, June 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London, England, is found the tomb of the great architect Sir Christopher Wren.

The words carved on his stone are:

Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.

Let us look around this building at the 14 great windows of this chamber bearing the floral emblems of the provinces, at the great frieze sculpture above the foyer that tells the story of Canada, and at the many other carved artworks created by Canada's first Dominion Sculptor, Eleanor Milne.

From 1962 to 1993, she altered the very fabric of this building using a mallet, a chisel, and a brilliant artistic mind.

She and her team worked from 11 at night until 6 in the morning. The frieze outside this chamber, the “History of Canada Series”, took 12 years to complete.

Her book, Captured in Stone: Carving Canada's Past is dedicated to “all who come to visit the Centre Block, Canada's Parliament Buildings”.

Miss Milne died on May 17 at the age of 89. If you seek her monument, look around you.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government is actively working to improve the quality of life for first nations children on reserve. The economic development and improvement of first nations members on reserve requires increased investments in skills training and job readiness activities and that is what we are doing.

The employment assistance services that support first nations members to develop skills and access the labour market have been increased by 68% over the last five years.

Canada, first nations communities, leaders, and young adults all agree that first nations youth should have the same opportunities as all Canadians to find, keep, and enjoy the benefits of a good job.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to the question from the hon. member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, a pretty part of Ontario.

Our government remains committed to working with first nations, provincial governments, and other partners to help reduce child poverty and to improve the quality of life for children and families living on reserve. The national child benefit reinvestment initiative is not a statutory program, and this is not a cut of resources to first nations in Ontario. The initiative remains a contribution to reaching the goal of poverty reduction.

The national child benefit reinvestment program in Ontario is allocating $6 million to eligible first nations in the 2014-15 fiscal year to support low-income families and children living on reserve communities. Eligible first nations can apply for this funding through project proposals that address specific initiatives to alleviate child poverty. The community programs that qualify for funding will focus on child care, child nutrition, support for parents, home-to-work transition, and cultural enrichment.

The national child benefit reinvestment program is part of the larger national child benefit initiative, or NCB, and is one of many Government of Canada initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty. For example, direct income support is provided through the Canada child tax benefit, the national child benefit supplement, and the income assistance program. These are programs that are available to all eligible Canadians, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike, and place resources and responsibilities in the hands of parents.

Over and above the national child benefit reinvestment program, the Government of Canada continues to invest in programs that address the health, welfare, and opportunities for first nations children and youth in Ontario, including more than $114 million annually to the Government of Ontario for child and family services programs on reserve, which include, first, culturally appropriate programs, such as aboriginal customary care and first-nations specific family support programs, to help families provide healthy environments to prevent children from needing care outside the parental home.

Second is more than $127 million annually to the Government of Ontario and first nations for the Ontario works program, which provides income and employment assistance to help low-income first nations families gain employment skills and become financially independent.

Third is more than $5.6 million to support family-violence-prevention program activities. Of this amount, approximately $4.3 million is allocated to support the operations of nine on-reserve women's shelters, and $1.3 million is for family-violence-prevention projects in first nations communities.

Fourth is more than $14.5 million annually for provincially licensed daycares in 52 first nations.

Finally, there is more than $1.1 million in 2014-2015 for the first nations jobs fund to provide employment opportunities for youth aged 18 to 24 on reserve who are also Ontario works recipients.

Reducing child poverty is critical to the future well-being and success of first nations children. Through the national child benefit reinvestment program and other initiatives, our government will continue to work with and for first nations children and families on reserve in Ontario and across Canada.

[International Trade, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on October 18, 2012, the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade received a presentation from trade policy officials on the Canada-China FIPA. The FIPA was also discussed and voted on in Parliament during the proceedings of an opposition day motion of April 18, 2013.

The Canada-China foreign investment promotion and protection agreement will contribute to jobs and growth by facilitating investment flows between Canada and China, and by providing a more stable and secure environment for investors on both sides of the Pacific. The reciprocal rules that form the basis of these agreements establish a framework providing investors with a predictable rules-based investment climate and access to international arbitration provides an effective binding and impartial method for the resolution of investment disputes.

As is Canada's practice, the provisions and procedures for investor-to-state dispute settlement are clearly laid out and emphasize transparency through elements such as public access to hearings and documents.

This agreement with China, the world's second-largest economy, will provide a stronger protection for Canadians investing in China.

[International Trade, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, deepening Canada's trade and investment ties with the largest, most dynamic, and fastest growing markets in the world, such as China, is a central feature of the government's pro-trade plan for creating jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity.

By improving access to foreign markets for Canadian businesses, this government is supporting economic growth and creating new opportunities for Canadian companies and investors.

The Canada-China foreign investment promotion and protection agreement is a high-standard agreement and a tangible demonstration of our commitment to help Canadian businesses compete on a level playing field in markets abroad.

In terms of its commitments, this agreement includes reciprocal obligations related to non-discrimination, a minimum standard of treatment under international law, expropriation, free movement of capital, and performance requirements, among others.

This agreement with China is very similar to the 27 FIPAs Canada currently has in force.

This reciprocal agreement establishes a clear set of rules under which investments are made and under which investment disputes are resolved.

Here are some highlights of this agreement.

For Canadian businesses looking to set up in China, they cannot be treated less favourably than any other foreign company looking to do the same. Once an investment is made, a Canadian business cannot be treated less favourably than any other business, including Chinese businesses.

The agreement also protects investors against government expropriation except under strict conditions, and then only with fair compensation.

The foreign investment promotion and protection agreement also ensures that all investment disputes arising from breaches of the agreed rules are resolved under international arbitration, ensuring that adjudications are independent and fair.

Finally, ours is the first bilateral investment agreement that China has signed that expressly includes language on transparency of dispute settlement proceedings. It is Canada's long-standing policy that all dispute resolutions should be open to the public and that the submissions made by the parties be available to the public.

This agreement does not impair Canada's ability to regulate and legislate in areas such as the environment, culture, safety, health, and conservation.

Furthermore, restrictions in the agreement will preserve Canada's current ability to review foreign investments under the Investment Canada Act to ensure they provide a net benefit to Canadians and that our national security is not compromised.

It is also important to note that, under this treaty, Chinese investors in Canada must obey all of the laws and regulations of Canada, just as any Canadian must.

In short, the Canada-China foreign investment promotion and protection agreement is similar to the 27 other investment treaties Canada has implemented with key trade and investment partners.

We join countries such as New Zealand, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan, who have all signed investment treaties with China on terms that are similar to and in some cases less favourable than the terms we have negotiated with China.

Furthermore, our government has brought greater transparency to the treaty review process. For example, in 2008, we introduced a formal tabling policy that requires international treaties to be tabled in the House before their ratification or coming into force.

The tabling period is 21 days, during which MPs and the public have an opportunity to review the treaty. In line with this policy, MPs had an opportunity to carefully review the treaty when the Canada-China FIPA was tabled in the House of Commons on September 26, 2012.

We have been very clear with the Chinese government that Canada wants to continue to expand its commercial relationship with China, but only in a way that produces clear benefits for both sides.

By establishing a clear set of investment rules that provide greater protection against discriminatory and arbitrary practices, this agreement will give Canadians greater confidence as they consider whether or not to invest in China.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke a great deal about the issues in New Brunswick, where he is from, and he commented briefly about the $28 million that would go to the National Energy Board for the review of TransCanada's energy east project.

I wonder if he could talk about how that, combined with the money that we would be putting into apprenticeship programs to help young people get skills training, would affect the economy in New Brunswick.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up that question with my hon. colleague. He lives in the Maritimes and I am sure there are a lot of search and rescue activities that go on in the area in which he lives. Could he comment on what this means to the people in his riding?

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is no government in the history of Canada that has recognized and done more for our veterans. We thank them for their service.

In fact, my father-in-law was 34 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He was one of the soldiers who were responsible for all of the goods and services going in and out of Italy. He was at Monte Cassino during that terrible battle. He was the youngest soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces who was credited for transport by land, air, and sea. Therefore, there is nobody in this House who would stand up more for our veterans than I would.

Our government has done an immense amount for our veterans. When I look back at the things we have done since 2006, I see that this document we are talking about tonight just continues to build on our strong record of support for veterans: $2 billion to enhance the new veterans charter programs in support of seriously injured veterans, $65 million to enhance the funeral and burial program, and $52.5 million in additional support for seriously injured Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

I could go on with that list. We respect our veterans. We are going to continue to help them in every way we can.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there is no government in the history of Canada that has done more to help our veterans for—