Paul Calandra

[Business of Supply, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member chooses to ignore the fact that it was this government that increased funding to the CBC substantially, having to reverse the cuts that the Liberals made to the CBC when they were balancing their budgets on the backs of the provinces and individuals, which I think was $457 million. I could be wrong on the amount, but I know it was to the tune of $400 million worth of cuts.

We took an opposite approach. We decided we had to protect arts and culture in our country. That is why we increased funding to arts and culture across Canada.

The CBC recognizes the fact that it has lost some important programming that brings advertising revenue in. I trust it will be able to make the types of decisions that will allow it to continue to meet its mandate in English and French throughout Canada. It has the independence to do that. It has proven in the past it can do it, and I suspect it will achieve that goal.

[Business of Supply, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member is quite right. The Conservatives have always been the guardians of Canadian arts and culture. This has been a hallmark of Conservative governments since the beginning. That is why we created the CBC. We understood how important it was to connect Canadians from coast to coast to coast, urban and rural, French and English. It has done a spectacular job in doing that.

We also went further. As I said, when the recession hit, we funded our museums. We funded arts and culture. We increased tax credits. We gave additional funding to the CBC so it could expand Canadian television productions. The results have been quite spectacular. I am proud of what the CBC has accomplished, not only since its inception but through this economic downturn.

When the member talks about investments, I think most Canadians would appreciate the fact that a billion dollars goes in to support this mandate, which is a very large amount of money. That is a decision we have made.

As I have said, we have increased funding. We have supported the CBC and we will continue to do that because it has a very important mandate.

I appreciate the fact that the member highlighted how important it was that the Conservatives actually created this and have protected arts and culture since coming into government.

[Business of Supply, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, before question period, I was talking a bit about the impact of the economic downturn of 2008, about the decision-making that went into this government's policies that were meant to create jobs and opportunity, and about the fact that this government continued to invest in arts and culture. As has been pointed out by many of the members opposite and members on this side of the House, arts and culture is a significant part of the Canadian economy, responsible for thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, and that is why this government continued to invest in arts and culture. We are one of the only governments that did that, and we did it despite the fact that many opposition members voted against those investments. Members will also recall that as part of that, we did provide significant investments into the CBC.

Let us put into context the type of investments that Canadians are making into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Over $1 billion is how Canadian taxpayers support the CBC across this country. Some members in the opposition would say that is not a lot of money. I would counter that by saying that Canadians work very hard. In my riding, my community has done very well despite the downturn, but people work very hard in my community. They are up very early in the morning. A good portion of my riding is rural. The farmers are up at 5:00 in the morning. They are hard at work all day, and they come home very late at night. All they ask from their government—their members of Parliament, councillors, and elected officials at all levels—is that they will do their best to use their money wisely, that they will not waste money, that they ensure that the investments they make are investments that are good not only for the community and the province but for the entire country. That is why this government has continuously made decisions to help support CBC to the tune of $1 billion. As I mentioned before question period, we reversed a lot of the unilateral cuts that were made by the previous Liberal government.

We understand on this side of the House the importance of the CBC to different areas of the country. We know that in some rural parts of the country, in aboriginal communities, and in official language minority communities, the CBC is an extraordinarily important venue for entertainment and for information. It is not just about hockey; we get that. That is why this government has continued to offer that support, and Canadian taxpayers have appreciated that support.

However, in the context of returning to a balanced budget, we asked all our partners to participate. Despite that, the CBC has continued to receive over $1 billion in funding from Canadian taxpayers.

In terms of the impact that arts and culture has on the Canadian culture, before question period I talked about the fact that it is not just about the actors, not just about the front-line people we see whom Canadians are more aware of. It is everything that goes into it. A number of films and TV shows are filmed in and around my community, and what I am most impressed about is all of the people who help support the industry. It is also about carpenters, electricians, the security guards who secure the set, hairdressers, and makeup people. It is all of these people behind the scenes who help support this industry and are responsible for the billions of dollars in economic activity.

I had the great opportunity to visit Cinespace, in the riding of the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore. It is an exceptional film studio where hundreds of people are employed. They are doing exceptional work. It is a studio that Canadians should be proud of. Some of the leading films are filmed there. TV shows are filmed there. It is competitive not only across Canada but throughout North America. It is known for being one of the premier sites to film, not just because of its location in the riding of the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, but because of the supports that this government has put in place to help support arts and culture.

When I had the opportunity to visit this studio with the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, one of the things the people there recognized was the fact that the government had helped support the industry through tax cuts. We are putting money back into the hands of people, into the pockets of our small, medium and large business creators. They recognize how important that is. I am proud of the fact that we were able to do that.

When we talk more broadly on the impact of arts and culture, I look at my own riding. We have a wonderful community radio station called WhiStle Radio where a team of volunteers works very hard to put quality programming on the air every day. It is a station of which I am very proud. We also have the Markham guild of artists and the Lemonville Group of Artists. We have Latcham Gallery, where my children attend summer camps and where there are a number of displays of local arts and crafts. Arts and culture is very important, not only to me but to all Canadians. We get that.

However, when we talk about the CBC specifically and some of the challenges it faces right now, it is quite clear that there has been a bit of a different dichotomy for the CBC. Yes, it has lost Hockey Night in Canada. That is no surprise to anyone. It was responsible for a tremendous amount of revenue for the CBC, revenue which it has now lost.

I also had the opportunity to speak with individuals from Rogers. They were successful in obtaining the rights to broadcast Hockey Night in Canada. One of the things they talked about was the amount of money they were investing to help support the broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. They are spending millions of dollars on new studios, on new talent, and on the people who help support the broadcast to put it on the air. Rogers is a private company. Hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity will be generated by this contract for Rogers.

However, that means something different for CBC. CBC will have to do what others do, and that is try to focus on finding programs that excite Canadians and that will bring Canadians to its channel so it can generate advertising revenue. It cannot just continuously look to the Canadian taxpayer and say that it does not need to have any accountability for the dollars it spends because it will be up to the Canadian taxpayer to cover that shortfall.

When I speak to people at the CBC, they do not see it the same way as many members of the opposition see it. They tell me they can compete, that they have the tools to compete and that they are making the decisions they need to make so they can still be relevant for Canadians across the country, so rural Canadians can have access to the information and high quality programming that some of us in urban Canada have. They understand they have a role to play, that they have to provide services in English and French across the country. They understand that is part of their mandate. They understand Canadians expect them to be in communities. They understand Canadians expect them to do things that maybe we do not expect from our private broadcasters. They also understand the fact that they are given incredible support to do that. I come back again to the fact that it is over $1 billion, which is a lot of money.

We will continue on this side of the House to support the CBC. We will continue to support arts and culture in general because we understand the importance of it to our Canadian economy. However, what we will not do is what the opposition motion has asked us to do, and that is to set aside accountability, set aside the fact that Canadians work very hard for their money and want us to use their money in the best possible way. It is not just for the CBC; it is for all, across government.

I am very excited by the fact our government will be the first government in the G7 that will return to a balanced budget. This is very exciting for Canadian taxpayers. That will provide us extra resources so we can continue to secure and provide investments for health care and some of the social programs on which Canadians have come to rely. We will continue to make investments across the country in infrastructure so we can create even more jobs and opportunity. It will provide us extra money so we can continue to make investments in our museums.

I know during question period, there was a discussion about the Canadian Museum of History. What an exciting project that is. It came with a $25 million investment from this government. This was on top of the other investments we made into all of our national museums through Canada's economic action plan.

Across the country, museums were given extra resources so they could better meet the needs of Canadians. One of the exciting things about the Canadian Museum of History is that it will tie together communities across the country. Large and small museums will be able to access the collections of the Canadian Museum of History.

Another thing ties into this. I really like what CBC is doing, because it understands it also has to shift. It has become a lot more aggressive online. It has a new music portal, where Canadians can go to access music.

We all know that Canadians are finding different ways and avenues to seek entertainment. It is not just the old way of plugging it in, putting up an antenna, and then it is there. Canadians have iPads and computers, and they want to be able to receive their content on the go. The CBC has recognized that and is making investments in those areas to bring it to more Canadians communities, families, and individuals.

We also recognize, and the CBC has done a really good job of this, the importance of some of the historical collections or archives that the CBC has on hand. There is a treasure chest of old reports from the CBC, which it has made available online to Canadians. That is very good news, not only for the CBC but for Canadians.

I recognize and applaud the fact that the CBC has taken it upon itself to not only be the guardian of some of Canada's broadcasting history, but also the guardian of arts and culture in parts of the country where they might not necessarily have access, like we do in urban Canada.

Again, I want to commend the CBC for the initiatives it has taken. We understand there are challenges and that is why we will continue to support the CBC. The broadcasting industry in general has faced a lot of challenges as we move from somewhat of an old school-type of business model to a new business model, where Canadians expect and demand to have services in different ways.

The CBC is moving in that direction, as all Canadian broadcasters are. If we look at where Canadians were a number of years ago and where our broadcasting industry is today, Canadians should have every reason to be extraordinarily proud of how far we have come and what we are accomplishing.

It is not only our artists or our musicians, it is our directors, actors and the people who support them. Canadians are among the best in the world. We have nothing to apologize for. We should be proud of all the people who work in this industry. We should be proud of the fact that arts and culture is so important to the Canadian economy. We should be proud of the fact that as a Parliament, we have supported that industry even in downturns and as the economy was moving in a different direction.

This government made the decision, unlike previous Liberal government that attacked funding for arts and culture, to go the opposite route and increase funding and support for our museums, radio, TV and broadcasting industry and our musicians. I am very proud of the fact we have done that.

I know the CBC will succeed if we give it the tools it needs, which is what we have done by giving it $1 billion. It has been around for a long time. It understands what it has to do to succeed.

The CBC is not asking for Parliament to tell it what to do. In fact, it is just the opposite. It values and cherishes its independence as an organization. What it wants Parliament to do is get out of the way and let it do the work it has to do so it can live up to the mandate it has to provide quality services for both French and English across the country and meet the needs of all Canadians.

Since we have been in government, we have guaranteed that the CBC has that independence, and that it has the tools and resources to meet that mandate.

[Ethics, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, out of sight and out of mind is what the NDP members described of their last candidates in the Quebec election. Out of sight and out of mind, just like in their offices. Some $3 million of taxpayer money was used to try to subsidize NDP efforts in a province like Saskatchewan where, the last time I checked, has no members and have not had one for 10 years. I guess the Leader of the Opposition was trying to get away with it for 17 years like in another matter, but he got caught.

Thanks to the member for Kitchener Centre, we are drilling down to this and getting the information. Just pay taxpayers back and do the right thing.

[Ethics, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, maybe they thought it was like an election. They could just write their name on the ballot somewhere and run for office, but they never had to be there, just like the New Democrats who actually worked in those offices. They apparently worked in Ottawa, but their office was actually there, but it was closed by a fictitious door that the Leader of the Opposition called on. Just pay back the $3 million—

[Ethics, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, while I have the floor, I want to congratulate the member for Kitchener Centre, who today tried to extract some accountability from the Leader of the Opposition with respect to some $3 million worth of taxpayer money that was probably potentially illegally used to promote the NDP against the rules of the House of Commons.

[Business of Supply, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to talk about the CBC.

I commend the member for Winnipeg North. It has been a long time since I heard the “hidden agenda” reference, so I congratulate him for being able to throw one of those into this debate. I am sure he will try in subsequent questions to throw in a “George W. Bush” because no debate he is included in would be complete without a “hidden agenda” and a “George W. Bush” reference. I want to commend him for that.

When we look at the CBC, it is important to look at it in a broader context. It is always difficult to hear the Liberals defend anything, and I am sure my colleagues on the NDP side will agree with me. When the Liberals were in office, and the NDP referenced this yesterday in another debate we had, their attacks on the CBC were legendary. They absolutely decimated funding to the CBC.

Now the Liberals get up in this place, on this debate, and talk about how important CBC is, and that “My gosh, if it wasn't for Mr. Dressup, they would not be here”. What did they think of Mr. Dressup and Finnegan when they cut $400 million and more from the CBC? I guess it was not important then, this national treasure of the CBC.

The member for Winnipeg North called CBC a “national treasure”, but the Liberals decimated it with cuts. They did not just decimate the CBC, they also went after health care, social transfers, post-secondary education. What they did to the military was a decade of darkness for it. That is the Liberal record on just about everything.

The Liberals talk a good game, but when it comes to providing good government for Canadians, they push that out the door and focus on what is good for the Liberal Party and their pockets.

The Liberals talked about sponsorship, so let us talk about sponsorship and commercials. What did the Liberals do? We all know about the sponsorship scandal. Imagine what the extra $40 million, which was stolen by the Liberal Party, would do in the context of today. It would be there for Canadians to use. We are still looking for that money.

I want to take the opportunity to commend not only the current Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages but also the current Minister of Industry, who was the former minister of Canadian Heritage. We knew on this side of the House, unlike the Liberals when they were in government, how important arts and culture are to the Canadian economy, not just how Canadians felt about their country or their communities and the provinces.

We understand the pride we get from our artists, the pride we have when a Canadian artist is successful in other countries. We have pride when we go abroad and see Canadian artwork hanging in important museums. It is not just that, but it is how important it is to our communities. We understand that.

That is why in 2008, when the economy took a turn for the worst, when the global economy was at its worst and when every other country in the world was making cuts to arts and culture, we took a different path because we understood then, as we understand today, how important it was to protect and enhance that community, which gives us so much pride.

As I said, we increased funding to arts and culture. We are one of the only G7 countries that has augmented or increased funding to arts and culture, and the results have been spectacular.

I remember at one point a couple of years ago when the Minister of Industry, who was the minister of Canadian Heritage at that time, referred to the fact that five Canadian artists were at the top of the Billboard charts.

I know some of the members of the NDP referred to the importance of jobs when it came to arts. Absolutely, it is important. Arts and culture is responsible for so many jobs in our country, more than 127,000 jobs across the country. It is not just, as the opposition sometimes likes to focus on, about the actors, it is not just about the directors, it is about the other people who help support these productions. These are the types of people we are providing assistance to through our tax cuts, which opposition members constantly vote against. This is about the carpenters, the electricians, the seamstresses, the hairdressers, the makeup artists, and all the people who help support productions in their communities across the country.

I will be happy to continue with my remarks after question period.

[Business of Supply, May 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset, it is going to be obvious that I do not agree with much of what the member said. As opposed to going down that vein, I just want to ask for his comments and thoughts on what we heard from the Liberal Party on this.

The Liberal Party mentioned their candidate in Trinity—Spadina, someone who was extraordinarily critical, when he was a reporter, of the billions of dollars in health and social transfer cuts the Liberals unilaterally made. He was very critical of that. The Liberal candidate in Trinity—Spadina was also very critical of the Liberal government in Ontario, which cut gas plants and wasted billions of dollars on gas plants and all kinds of other things, to the detriment of all kinds of other social programs.

Moreover I want to touch on something the Liberal member talked about. The Liberals had three majority governments and one minority government. They were in power for 13 years and admit that they did absolutely nothing on this file.

Does the hon. member, despite the fact that we disagree, think Canadians can in any way trust the Liberals to actually live up to any commitments they make in this House? Does he believe, like I do, that what they are saying, the words they say in this House, never match what they do?

[Ethics, May 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it was this government that brought in the Accountability Act as one of the first measures that we passed. We know that the opposition is consistently voting against those measures that would further accountability in government.

This particular person, if he is found guilty, should suffer the severest consequences available to him under the laws that this government has brought in. It is worth noting, of course, that as soon as we found out, we informed the Commissioner of the RCMP, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the ethics commissioner.

[Ethics, May 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, these are allegations that concern a private individual who did not receive any government contracts. As soon as we found out, we referred this to the Commissioner of the RCMP, the Commissioner of Lobbying, and the ethics commissioner. We brought in a number of very tough rules that the opposition consistently votes against. If this individual is found guilty, he should suffer the severest consequences available under the rules that we brought in.