Lois Brown

[Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day, September 28th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government proclaims the last Sunday of each September as Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day.

Yesterday here on Parliament Hill, thousands of police and peace officers gathered to honour their colleagues who had died in the line of duty and made the ultimate sacrifice in keeping our communities safe and secure.

This was the 10th year I have had the privilege of participating in this very moving and emotional memorial.

I commend the officers who attended yesterday. Police and peace services throughout all of Canada came together to honour their fallen, including York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge, Deputy Chief Bruce Herridge, and Deputy Chief Eric Jolliffe from my own area.

Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day is a lasting tribute to the sacrifice of those brave men and women. They are our heroes. We shall not forget them.

[Child Care, September 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have renewed their assault on the integrity and judgment of Canadian parents.

The member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel says that parents cannot be trusted to spend the $100 per month child care benefit on their children, that instead they will spend it on themselves. One Liberal even suggests that parents would blow it on beer and popcorn. The Liberal leader calls the benefit, upon which so many parents depend, wasteful and a terrible use of public funds.

Could the minister tell the House whether or not she agrees with this shameful attack on the judgment and integrity of Canadian parents and families?

[Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, June 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader has some strong opinions about a country he was away from for 34 years.

He said Canada has become the laughingstock of the world. How dare he.

He has come back to Canada after three and a half decades in the U.K. and the United States after calling our flag a pale imitation of a beer label, and after calling himself an American.

The country that is defending its Arctic sovereignty, rebuilding its military, and asserting itself on the world stage deserves better.

This is one of the most peaceful and prosperous nations the world has ever known. Last year, we welcomed thousands of new Canadians who chose to come here for the opportunity Canada offers.

If he was not just visiting, the Liberal leader would know Canada is no laughingstock.

Canada is strong, proud, independent and free. Maybe he will learn that during his visit to this great country.

[Infrastructure, June 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the House for the opportunity to speak to the motion brought forward by the member for Labrador regarding the importance of investing in core public infrastructure in Canada's north.

During previous debates on this motion, my colleagues highlighted significant investments this government has made and continues to make in Canada's northern communities.

Along with our northern strategy, our government, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, is delivering an economic action plan that will stimulate economic growth in economies from coast to coast to coast by creating jobs and supporting Canadian families.

This government has doubled the gas revenue transfer from $1 billion to $2 billion per year, and moved up the first payment from July 1st to April 1st. This money is in bank accounts of municipalities right now so local government can put it to work right away.

Our government continues to work constructively with our counterparts in the provinces and the territories to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible. We are getting the job done for all of our provinces and for the territories. This money is in the hands of our municipalities because we believe that putting the money in their hands is going to create jobs in these places immediately.

We are really glad that we can say that we are getting the job done.

[Health, June 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, electronic health records have the opportunity to improve the accessibility of our health care system. That is why Canada's economic action plan provided an additional $500 million to Canada Health Infoway. However, many Canadians are concerned about the recent situation involving eHealth Ontario.

Can the Minister of Health update us on the program?

[Taxation, May 15th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic action plan is taking real action to support Canada's economy. Our plan includes lower taxes, allowing Canadians to keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pockets, where it belongs.

The Liberal leader does not get it. He actually thinks Canadian taxes are too low and they should pay more. He said, “We will raise your taxes”. He would force Canadians to send more of their money to Ottawa.

Could the finance minister please inform the House how our tax-cutting measures are helping our economy?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act, May 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on something my hon. colleague said. I have been very privileged over the last decade to participate in the national memorial for our fallen officers that takes place here every year on Parliament Hill, on the last Sunday of September. I believe that event should be a command performance for any elected member who is making legislation that our law enforcement members have to enforce on the streets.

It has been a real honour for me as a volunteer with the York Regional Police to participate in that. It is an extremely moving event, and nothing more moving than the year that the officers were killed in Mayerthorpe. The parliamentary grounds were a sea of red serge, being supported by the RCMP.

My question relates to the fact that our government has seen fit to put in place things that are going to help our RCMP officers. We are the only party that has a police caucus, and we put in place the dollars for Depot division. With all these things that we have done, why is it that former governments did not see this as fairness and justice and take the issue on themselves in previous governments?

[Canada Day, May 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this year's Canada Day parade in Aurora, Ontario in celebration of the founding of our great nation is expected to be the largest yet. One individual in particular deserves much of the credit for this success.

Ever since Aurora held its first parade in 1969, when the late Bobby Gimby sang his hit song Canada, the town of Aurora has locally been dubbed as “Canada's Birthday Town”.

When the parade was cancelled two years ago, a very patriotic Canadian swung into action. Overnight, Sher St. Kitts has nearly single-handedly transformed the Aurora Canada Day parade into one of York region's most important events. Last year, over 10,000 citizens were treated to a sea of red and white as over 65 spectacular entries marched along the street.

With the help of Sher St. Kitts and her “red hot Canadians” parade committee, Aurora will once again, on July 1, be rightfully defending its title as “Canada's Birthday Town”.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, nannygate is not just about the member for Brampton—Springdale, it is about the Liberal Party. It is about a culture of arrogance and entitlement that treats women, immigrant women in particular, like chattel.

Not one Liberal has come out and stood up for these abused nannies. The Liberal Party is failing immigrant women, not just by taking them for granted but by being silent when they are being abused.

Where are the Liberal voices standing up for these abused caregivers?

Will the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism tell the House what the government is doing to protect immigrant women?

[Service Canada, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the motion tabled by my colleague, the member for Brossard—La Prairie, as well as the amendment by the member for Saint-Lambert, and the subamendment by the member for Sault Ste. Marie.

I believe it is important to stress the seriousness of the negative financial consequences the passage of this motion, including its amendments, would have on the organization and financial structure of Passport Canada.

As we know, over the past two years an enormous number of Canadians have obtained passports. They numbered 3.6 million for the 2006-07 fiscal year, and over 4.8 million for the following fiscal year. Clearly, over 53% of Canadians have a valid passport. This is a direct result of the American government's implementation of the western hemisphere travel initiative, or WHTI.

When our government was elected in January 2006, our Prime Minister made a commitment to improve the passport issuance process and to make it easier for Canadians to access passport services, regardless of where they live. That is what we have been doing for the past three years.

For example, we adopted two new initiatives, simplified renewal and a new guarantor policy. The adoption of these policies has simplified the application process and sped up processing times. Next, we sought to make it easier to access passport services, substantially increasing the number of service points for Canadians.

Through the receiving agents program, we now have 231 service points compared with only 30 in 2003. I would like to point out to my colleagues in the House that our government has been very proactive with respect to the receiving agent file.

I am amused that my colleague from Brossard—La Prairie is demanding the expansion of the receiving agents, although we know very well that while her party was in power, it did nothing substantial to improve service to citizens.

Our government has been very proactive on this file. Today, over 95% of applicants live within a 50 kilometre radius of a service point. I would also like to inform the House that the receiving agents process about 7% of the total volume of passport applications. Of the 198 receiving agents in the country, 141 are Service Canada offices and 57 are Canada Post outlets.

However, close analysis of the motion tabled by the member for Brossard—La Prairie reveals a problem. The motion stipulates that all of Service Canada's regional offices should provide full passport services.

My colleagues are no doubt aware that Passport Canada is a self-financing agency, and as such must exercise great care in managing its finances. Passport Canada receives only $62 for each adult passport application for an adult living in Canada and $22 for children under the age of three. These fees are some of the lowest in the world and our processing times are among the shortest.

I would like to share a few facts in this regard with my hon. colleagues. Passport Canada's financial analysts have estimated that if receiving agent and citizenship validation services were to be offered at all Service Canada offices, it would cost at least $13.5 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year and $10 million for the subsequent four years. That means that for the first five years of this program, it would cost at least $56.2 million for a volume of some 500,000 applications.

The cost of implementing this motion by the member for Brossard—La Prairie, which would increase the number of passport offices from 33 to 320, would be exorbitant. If it currently costs $56.2 million over five years for improved receiving agent services, I do not even dare calculate the cost for these 320 offices that would provide the full range of passport services, from receipt of the application to the printing of the passport.

In 2010, Passport Canada will open a new office in Kelowna, which, according to preliminary estimates, will cost about $1.5 million. If we were to multiply this figure by 320, I think we would see the problem.

Not only would passing this motion, including as amended, be problematic in terms of Passport Canada's finances, I would like to add a few points regarding the cost of providing additional security.

All travel documents issued by Passport Canada must satisfy very strict international rules. These rules are dictated by international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization which reports to the United Nations. They involve factors such as format, security and issuance. In order for Service Canada to be able to provide full passport service from receipt of the application to issuance, the infrastructure for Service Canada offices would have to be adapted.

Passport Canada's financial analysts have estimated that providing this increased security for a small office, just for one small office, would require an investment of between $1.4 million and $4 million. If we were to go ahead with this proposal, Passport Canada would have to invest several hundreds of millions of dollars just to ensure the security of Service Canada offices. Such a situation would threaten Passport Canada's very survival. Members can imagine the effect this would have on the cost of a passport.

Passport Canada is a serious organization that attaches great importance to client services. Processing times are very fast. This is a well-oiled machine. Passport Canada's regular service time of two weeks is also one of the fastest in the world. Furthermore, Passport Canada is currently able to address the demand for passports and has been operating within its service standards since December 2007.

The Canadian passport has an excellent reputation internationally and Passport Canada's policies are analyzed by numerous countries worldwide. The introduction of an electronic passport with a 10-year validity period is a major project for Passport Canada. It is important that the organization be able to direct its financial resources toward implementing these priorities.

With the coming into force of phase two of the WHTI on June 1, 2009, all Canadians travelling to the United States by land or by sea will be required to present a valid passport. It is important, and even crucial, that Passport Canada and its employees adequately prepare for the new measures that will be introduced shortly by the American government.

Passage of this motion, including as amended, would impose an unreasonable and unnecessary financial burden on the agency in addition to seriously affecting the measures put in place by the agency in preparation for the challenge that lies ahead.

Although this agency experienced a major crisis in 2007, it rose to the occasion. Its employees even won a prestigious public service award in 2008.

In closing, I would like to stress once again that our government supports Passport Canada's efforts and is determined to ensure that funds managed by the Government of Canada are managed responsibly and effectively.