Peter Stoffer

[Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, March 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I again want to highlight my hon. colleague, who has done an outstanding job in committee and the House by raising the spectre of what may happen to the shipbuilding industry if these particular policies carry on.

My hon. colleague is a learned gentleman. He is not asking for anything that is against the WTO or the GATS. He is not asking for anything illegal. What he is asking for is fairness in representation of the facts when it comes to shipyard workers, shipowners and shipbuilders in the five major yards we have left in Canada.

We know for certain that if we were to get the carve-out of shipbuilding, Norway would raise concerns and might back away from it. That leads to one of the questions I would like to ask my hon. colleague. Why would Norway be so hinged on shipbuilding? We understand that there is a scaled reduction of the tariff over 15 years, but we know very well that favourable tax policies in Norway can offset that.

The reality is that our largest trading partner is the United States, and this is the crux of the matter in my argument. Every single FTA it has signed since 1924 specifically carves out shipbuilding and marine services. It is our largest trading partner. Why would Canada not legally do the same, in order to protect the interests of our shipyards and workers in this country?

[Veterans Affairs, March 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, from VIP for veterans' widows, from SISIP to agent orange to allied veterans and on and on, the Conservative government has deliberately misled veterans and their families.

In 2005 the Prime Minister and the Minister of Veterans Affairs said to thousands of people in Gagetown that if a Conservative government were elected, they would look after everyone affected by the spraying, from 1958 to 1984. In fact, the Conservatives brought in a compensation package even worse than what the Liberals were going to do.

On four separate occasions, the Minister of Veterans Affairs said that he would call for a public inquiry into the spraying in Gagetown. Will the minister or his parliamentary secretary—

[Veterans Affairs, March 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is amazing how in tough economic times the government can find $6 million to hire 18 of its friends for the Senate, yet at the same time cut $6 million from Veterans Affairs in staffing allowances.

In fact, Robert Rutledge, the president of the Saint Anne's Hospital veterans group has written to the Minister of Veterans Affairs. He has said that he is very concerned about the 40 staff cuts at that hospital, which will seriously affect the night and day time services.

Why do the veterans who served in World War II and Korea have to suffer from the blatant abuse by the Conservative government?

[Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, March 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect to the member, it was his party, under Mr. Tobin, that initiated the national shipbuilding strategy, and it has been sitting on the Minister of Industry's desk since 2001. He does not have to write a new policy. We already have one.

The problem is that for the five years following, the Liberals let it gather dust. Now the Conservatives are letting it gather dust. The hon. member should know that we in the NDP do not have anything against trading deals with other countries. That is what we should be pursuing.

I am going to ask him this one question, because I know he is a very intelligent individual. When the United States enters into free trade deals, since 1924 it has excluded shipbuilding and marine services from the trade deals because it knows how vital and strategic that industry is to its economy and its country. If the United States does that, and it is our largest trading partner, why does Canada not do it?

[Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, March 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, he missed out on a few things.

First, he should be aware that the Canadian industry for military Coast Guard Laker and ferry fleets requires an investment of $22 billion over 20 years, not $175 million. None of the major yards will be building hovercrafts or the small Coast Guard vessels. We asked and pleaded for a $22 billion investment over 20 years, and we received $175 million.

The minister talked about structured facility financing. We have asked repeatedly, since 2001 in a report done by business, labour and the communities, to have SFF, structured facility financing, and accelerated cost capital allowance together over five years.

The previous Liberals and the current Conservatives repeatedly said that we could not have a double benefit. All we ask for is that the shipbuilding industry be treated in the same fashion as the aerospace industry.

I could not help but notice the other day when a Conservative MP stood and bragged about the investment in aerospace, yet shipbuilding received a pittance. We know that our five remaining yards cannot live by government procurement alone. They have to be stable. We have five major yards left in the country and a bunch of smaller ones. We are very concerned about them.

It is not that the NDP is against trade deals. We are for them, but we have asked for the exact same thing for which the United States has asked. Since 1924, and the minister should know this, every FTA the United States has signed has excluded shipbuilding marine services from the table. The Americans do not even bring it to these deals. Since they are our largest trading partner, we should have followed suit and done the same thing, but we did not. We know shipbuilding is a deal breaker in EFTA.

The minister is right about subsidies. We have not subsidized our industries for years, but Norway did for over 30 years when it was building up the North Sea oil. It subsidized it heavily to the point where it has it right.

It is not just Norway we are concerned about, because the next talks will be with Korea. Korea has said very clearly that the auto and shipbuilding sectors are major factors in the trade deal. Therefore, we are also concerned about Korea when it comes to shipbuilding and other countries down the road.

My hon. colleague, whom I have great respect for, should understand that we have asked very clearly for the shipbuilding aspect to be taken out of EFTA, and worry about everything else. If he says that we can compete with the rest of the world, that is fine. Does that mean supply management for our farmers—

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 12th, 2009]

With regard to the anthrax vaccine administered to Canadian Forces (CF) serving in the Gulf War: (a) did the government complete independent testing on the safety of the vaccine; (b) did the government complete a study on the health of CF personnel who receive the vaccine; and (c) has the government continued to monitor or undertaken any follow up studies on the health of CF personnel who received the vaccine?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 12th, 2009]

With regard to the HMCS Chicoutimi crew personnel who were on board during the October 2004 HMCS Chicoutimi fire: (a) what post-trauma services were offered to the personnel and following which timeline the services were offered; (b) what is the total number of hours of sick-leave taken post accident by month up to and including today's date; (c) how many individuals have applied for disability pensions or long-term disability directly related to this accident; and (d) how many were approved for disability pensions or long-term disability directly related to this accident to date?

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 12th, 2009]

Since February 2006, has the government engaged in any discussions, initiatives, proposals, or directives concerning changes to the existing military supply chain process for the Canadian Forces?

[Business of Supply, March 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows very well that I spent my first 23 years in British Columbia. I worked in private mills myself and I understand the--

[Business of Supply, March 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my hon. colleague a question similar to the one I asked the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands. When Canada exports raw logs or raw materials to other countries, in many ways we are exporting our jobs. I would like the member's viewpoint on what happens when provinces decide, for whatever reason, to export raw logs to the United States or elsewhere in the world. Does he not believe that exporting raw logs is actually exporting our jobs?