Mike Lake

[Science and Technology, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our government has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to science and technology with over $8 billion in new funding since 2006. We have built a sophisticated, knowledge-based economy by providing significant resources to support leading-edge research and research facilities.

Guided by the 2007 science and technology strategy, we have been systematically enhancing federal support for world-class research and building on Canada's knowledge advantage. Our government remains committed to supporting curiosity-driven research, an essential foundation for a vibrant innovation system. Through economic action plan 2012, this government has preserved core programs funding basic research.

Canada's economic action plan 2012 builds on our accomplishments. It proposes significant new resources to support leading-edge basic research and infrastructure through investments that strengthen Canada's position in the world as a leading supporter of research. Budget 2012 provides $341 million over two years to support research, education and training. In total, federal government spending on science and technology for fiscal year 2011-12 is expected to exceed $11 billion.

This ongoing support from the Government of Canada for advanced research has contributed to a strong innovation system in this country. It has ensured Canadian researchers can continue to generate groundbreaking ideas. It has given businesses access to ideas and people and provided them with the resources needed to bring this knowledge to market and create high-quality jobs.

We have continued to support large-scale research in genomics. In budget 2012, our government announced an additional $60 million for Genome Canada, helping continue to support research excellence. Since 2000, we have also invested more than $1 billion to ensure Canada remains at the forefront of this important field, supporting amazing breakthroughs in health and other sectors of the economy.

Moreover, we are committed to building a strong and vibrant research environment and providing significant support for leading-edge research infrastructure. Economic action plan 2012 provides sustained support for investments in advanced research infrastructure by committing an additional $500 million over five years to the Canada Foundation for Innovation starting in 2014-15. To date, our government has allocated $5.5 billion to the foundation, which has committed support to more than 7,300 projects at 130 research institutions.

I should also note that our government also provided, through budget 2009, $2 billion for research and advanced learning infrastructure at universities, colleges and CEGEPs through the knowledge infrastructure program. This funding not only helped create jobs across the country when it was needed the most, but it also helped leverage an additional $3 billion in contributions from the provinces, territories and private partners. It has helped attract and retain the best minds in the world and train the highly-skilled workers of tomorrow. In fact, the most recent report from the Council of Canadian Academies concluded that Canada's S and T enterprise is healthy, growing, internationally competitive and very well respected among the world's leading scientists.

In addition, economic action plan 2012 delivers $67 million in 2012-13 to support the NRC in refocusing its efforts toward business-driven, industry relevant applied research that will help Canadian businesses develop innovative products and services.

Taken cumulatively, these measures, along with our efforts to support business innovation, demonstrate this government's priority in supporting Canada's world-class science, technology and innovation system.

[Telecommunications Industry, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this government is taking action against the crime of cellphone theft, just as it is committed to reducing all crime in Canada.

The agency responsible for the regulation of telecommunications in Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, CRTC, is taking the issue of lost and stolen mobile devices very seriously. The CRTC has requested information from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, CWTA, on what measures the industry is taking to protect consumers.

As I mentioned earlier, most recent, on September 28, not even a month ago, the CRTC noted that if it was not satisfied by the response of the CWTA, it would investigate what further regulatory action was needed to be taken to provide the necessary tools to help consumers in this regard.

We are closely monitoring these efforts, consistent with our strong actions to address crime and protect Canadians.

[Telecommunications Industry, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, first I will provide some context regarding the government's larger telecommunications agenda before turning to the specifics of cellphone theft. This agenda forms part of Canada's plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Our goal is to strengthen the financial security of Canadian workers and families to help create good jobs and long-term prosperity in every region of the country.

The telecommunications sector is an important part of this prosperous, productive and competitive Canadian economy and society. Our government's job is to ensure that the appropriate regulatory frameworks are in place to encourage both investment and competition so that Canadians have access to advanced telecommunications services at competitive prices.

Our government is building on our strong record of encouraging greater competition and consumer choice in telecommunications. This is why earlier this year we announced a series of new measures for the telecommunications sector, including the reform of investment restrictions and the release of a framework for the upcoming spectrum auctions.

With the increasing use of cellphones, especially smartphones, by Canadians, the issue of cellphone theft has been identified by chiefs of police as a growing problem. Our government is committed to the reduction of crime in Canada. Within 100 sitting days after the election, we passed the Safe Streets and Communities Act, legislation designed to protect Canadian citizens from harm.

In addition, we have proposed amendments to our privacy laws to enhance consumer confidence in the online marketplace and passed anti-spam legislation to protect both consumers and businesses.

The Minister of Industry is responsible for telecommunications policy under the Telecommunications Act, while the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the CRTC, is responsible for the regulation of telecommunications and broadcasting services in Canada.

The CRTC is taking the issue of cellphone theft seriously and has said so plainly and publicly. The commission has requested information from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association on what initiatives the wireless industry is undertaking to protect consumers from being victims of mobile device theft.

Most recently, on September 28, the CRTC noted that if it were not satisfied by the response of the CWTA, it would investigate what further regulatory action needed to be taken to provide the necessary tools to help consumers in this regard. Our government is closely monitoring the progress of these efforts.

Our government is taking strong action to make Canada a safer place for our families and to strengthen our country's prosperity and competitiveness.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to improve access to fresh, nutritious food for people living in isolated northern communities. I am very proud to report that, working together with aboriginal people from across the country, we have made tremendous headway in ensuring that they have access to the same quality of life as other Canadians.

Our government will continue to work with aboriginal partners across Canada to deliver tangible and lasting results and ensure aboriginal people are well positioned to be full participants in a strong Canadian economy.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak to the question from the hon. member for Manicouagan. Our government is working with partners across Canada to deliver tangible and lasting results for aboriginal people and to ensure they are well positioned to be full participants in a strong Canadian economy. We support food security for aboriginal communities through a number of programs, including nutrition north Canada.

In April 2011, nutrition north Canada was launched with the goal of improving access to nutritious perishable foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, meats, milk and eggs for Canadians living in remote communities. It is a subsidy program that encourages registered retailers, suppliers or wholesalers to choose the most economical options for shipping goods to remote communities. These retailers must then pass on the savings to their customers.

Nutrition north Canada data shows that the subsidy is reducing food prices and is encouraging northerners to buy more nutritious and perishable foods. Nutrition north Canada benefits 103 remote northern communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The Government of Canada does not set or regulate retail food prices. However, under the nutrition north Canada program, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada has the authority to ensure that retailers fulfill their obligation of passing on the program subsidies to their consumers.

In addition, as country food such as Arctic char, caribou and muskox are a vital food source, our government is committed to ensuring it remains a key part of northerners' diets. That is why commercially produced country foods are included for subsidy under nutrition north Canada.

Country foods produced in federally regulated northern commercial food processing plants are eligible for a subsidy under nutrition north Canada. Health Canada and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada are working with other federal departments and stakeholders on options to improve access to country food in the north.

We welcome the public discussion that is under way on how various governments and stakeholders, including all members of Parliament, can work together to improve the health and wellness of northerners. Clearly, our government remains committed to providing northerners with healthy food choices through the nutrition north Canada program.

[World Autism Awareness Day Act, October 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am not going to engage in debate today either. I am very heartened by the members of all parties saying they want to bring this to a vote tonight. I am also heartened, listening to two members of the opposition who have been around here for a long time, who have both said they have learned something new about autism in the last little while. I am excited about that. I look forward to having further conversations with them. If there is any way I can help them increase their understanding any more, or put them in touch with others who may also be able to express similar types of challenges, certainly I would be glad to do that.

I want to recognize a few people today, if I could. I want to thank Senator Munson for moving this bill in the first place. I really appreciate that. I appreciated having the opportunity to work with him on this issue over time. I want to thank some government ministers: the Minister of Health, the Minister of Human Resources, the Minister of National Revenue and staff who we worked with to try to move some of the issues.

The opposition members talked about some of the challenges. We have had the opportunity to bring forward some of those challenges to these various ministries and their staff, and stakeholders have been received very well as we have tried to move some of these issues forward. I want to thank those ministers.

I want to thank the member for Kitchener—Conestoga for picking up the bill in the House and for his very enthusiastic support of it, as with everything he does. The vigour and the positive attitude with which he supported this have been really encouraging.

I am doing a lot of thanking today, but I have spoken a lot about the issue. I want to thank my own staff, who I do not thank enough, for their work on this issue. They have embraced the issue as their very own. They have embraced Jaden as though he is their family member. It is a lot of work on top of the regular life of an MP. The work they do to raise awareness of this issue on top of their regular workloads is astounding, and I really want to thank them for that.

Jaden and I had the opportunity to go to New York a couple of weeks back. We went there for a UN event. The World Autism Awareness Day actually arose out of an initiative by the UN and Bob and Suzanne Wright, who founded Autism Speaks. It arose out of conversations they had. They have continued their work to raise awareness on this important issue.

We were there for a couple of days, and while we were there we had a chance to speak to the spouses of world leaders. There were 15 or 16 spouses. We actually spoke with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the President of Panama at the same time. We were very enthused and excited. We had the chance, as we were speaking to them, to play a bit of football in front of them. I had to explain that North American football is a bit different from the football most of them are used to. We do that to settle Jaden down, because he sometimes gets very excited and intense when we are doing some of these things. Playing football kind of calms him down, so we had the chance to show them how that works for him.

While we were in New York, I was constantly working, so Jaden was grabbing my shoulder and hanging off my shoulder, staring at my BlackBerry the whole time because he had to be on top of what the schedule was, but he was more excited than I have ever seen him in two days. We really had a fun time.

We went to Times Square on Friday night and, in terms of autism awareness, one of the things we have to be aware of as parents is that when we are in situations like that, Jaden is very excited, hanging off my shoulder, but if he gets two feet away from me in a crowded atmosphere like that, I might never find him again. We had the opportunity to experience Times Square together with all the excitement of the bright lights and everything else. It was a spectacular time.

We had the chance to do about five media interviews while we were there. I do want to recognize the folks in the media who have really worked to raise awareness of this issue. David Ariosto from CNN did an interview with us, and so did David Common from CBC. They both got it immediately. They both understood Jaden immediately. They made that connection with Jaden, and their stories reflect that. That was similar to the things that Tom Clark and Steve Paikin and Evan Solomon have done here when they have had the opportunity to raise awareness. We talked to Marci Ien at Canada AM and a lady named Susan James at ABC News. All of them really took an interest in this issue. It was not just another day in their lives of work, but they actually took an interest in really raising awareness of this issue.

They had a chance to get to know and connect with Jaden and move that issue forward. I want to thank them for doing that and for taking the time to go above and beyond in their approach to this.

I do not want to take much more time. I know that we want to pass this bill. No one wants that more than I do. However, I would be remiss if I did not thank the families of people with autism. When it comes to autism awareness, we can do a lot in the House, but it is the families that model the grace, perseverance and love for their family members, the sons, daughters, siblings, and in some cases, parents, who may not have been diagnosed until later in life as being on the spectrum. No one who advocates is more aware of the challenges than they are. They live every day with this. We discuss it once in a while in the House, but every single day those families live with this.

We heard the hon. member down the way refer to individuals with autism and their own unique perspectives. There is certainly a whole variety of unique perspectives. When we focus on the challenges, we also have to focus on the amazing, unique skills and talents these people have. As a society, we need to try to find ways to include them, take advantage of their incredible strengths, and learn from them. They make our lives better. My life is infinitely better because my son Jaden is involved in it. I would say that everyone in the House who has had the opportunity to meet Jaden, without exception, would say that their lives are better for having had the opportunity to give him a high five, a hug or a kiss.

With that, I will close. I thank all members from all parties for the way they have embraced Jaden during the time I have been a member of Parliament. God bless them all.

[Foreign Investment, October 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, of course, our government will always act in the best interests of Canadians in this regard and these transactions will be scrutinized very closely.

My question for the hon. member is that in 2009 when we introduced changes to the Investment Canada Act and added provisions to protect national security, why did he vote against them?

[Foreign Takeovers, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, under this government Canada has been and will continue to be open for business. We welcome foreign investment that provides a net benefit for Canadians and helps grow the economy. We will continue to provide an economic climate that allows Canadian firms to prosper. We will not go down the path of protectionism. Canada cannot afford to fall behind and that is exactly where protectionist policies will land us.

Instead, this government takes a responsible approach to foreign investment. To that end, the proposed transaction will be scrutinized very closely to ensure that it represents a net benefit to Canada.

[Foreign Takeovers, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to a question posed earlier regarding the proposed investment by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC, in a Canadian oil company.

First of all, I would like to reaffirm this government's commitment to welcoming foreign investment that benefits Canada. The fact is that foreign investment is crucial to the Canadian economy and to prosperity in Canada. It introduces new technologies and practices that promote growth, employment and innovation here at home. Foreign investment brings some of the most productive and specialized firms in the world to Canada and results in some of the highest paying jobs for Canadians. It also connects Canadian businesses with new markets and offers them a place in global supply chains.

This government also recognizes that Canadian businesses must compete in a globalized economy and we are committed to creating the right conditions for Canadian businesses to succeed internationally.

Canada has signed foreign investment promotion and protection agreements, or FIPAs, with numerous countries, including a recent agreement with the People's Republic of China, which help connect our firms to the rest of the world and create a stable, secure environment for two-way investment between Canada and other countries.

FIPAs accomplish their objectives by setting out the respective rights and obligations of the countries that are signatories to the treaty with respect to the treatment of foreign investment.

FIPAs seek to ensure that foreign investors will not be treated worse than similarly situated domestic investors or other foreign investors. They will not have their investments expropriated without prompt and adequate compensation, and in any case, they will not be subject to treatment lower than the minimum standard established in customary international law. As well, in most circumstances, investors should be free to invest capital and repatriate their investments and returns.

We will continue our work to secure access to foreign markets in order to ensure the success of our own Canadian businesses abroad.

With respect to foreign investments, our government has a sound process in place to ensure they benefit Canadians. We have made targeted amendments to the Investment Canada Act to provide greater transparency to the public, more flexibility in enforcement and an alternative to costly and time-consuming litigation. Our government's review process will be used to conduct a careful review of the proposed acquisition that the hon. member mentions.

[Employment Insurance, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member asked when the government would admit something. What I want to know is when the NDP will admit that this government has created more than 800,000 net new jobs through the actions we have taken over the past several years. When will the NDP actually stand up and support those actions?

The member talks about undermining the economy. The question I have for the hon. member is: What does she think $21.5 billion in carbon taxes would do to the Canadian economy? Of course, that $21.5 billion was clearly outlined in the NDP platform, in its costing document, as a means to pay for some of the extravagant promises the NDP was making.

That type of step, that type of policy plan would absolutely be a disaster for the Canadian economy. We will oppose that every step of the way.