Scott Andrews

[Sealing Industry, May 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, nearly 6,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians depend on the seal hunt for their livelihood.

The Conservative government is failing Canadian sealers by not forcing the EU on this issue. Why can the government not tell the EU that all its trade with Canada depends on discussing the seal hunt during these free trade talks? The EU just cannot have its way.

My question is for the Minister of International Trade. The Government of Newfoundland is not endorsing free trade discussions between Canada and the EU. Does this mean anything to the Conservatives, or are they just turning their backs on Newfoundland and Labrador again?

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague across the way for asking that question because we just heard how the seal herd has impacted the lobster fishery in Nova Scotia.

I want to finish off with something the Canadian ambassador for fisheries conservation, Loyola Sullivan, said, which is that “if anyone thinks there isn't going to be a ban in Europe is sadly mistaken. This is the Conservative-appointed guy who was going to the EU to promote our seal industry.

That did not work so the government decided to appoint an unelected Conservative senator, who could not even convince the voters in his own riding to vote for him, to go to Europe and promote the seal hunt. I, too, wrote the minister and asked for an all party committee in December to go to Europe and fight this exact battle.

The member is obviously in support of this. Does he have any confidence that the minister will actually take that recommendation?

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I am truly impressed by the member. He serves on the fisheries committee with us and he sometimes continues to amaze me with his thoughtfulness and insight into these matters. I want to congratulate him on his presentation tonight.

I will stick to a couple of technical questions for him. He can converse with the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, who is sitting next to him. He referred to the propaganda debate going on in Europe, and I have two questions.

First, a lot of advertising is done in the weeks leading up to this EU vote. How much advertising did the Department of Fisheries and Oceans do, leading up to this vote? How much paper advertising besides the press releases and the spin? How many actual dollars were put on the table to try to change the minds and hearts of those parliamentarians and the public at large?

Second, did the Department of Fisheries and Oceans pass on those words of the member in the form of an information package on our sealing industry? Were the 600 members of the EU sent an information package on our sealing industry, highlighting the facts of which the member just spoke?

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I notice the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, again, likes to bring up the only celebrity the animal rights groups could get this year, a no-name, unelected senator. The Conservative Party continues to use this one person as its spokesperson. It likes to continue to bring it up over and over. It is the only celebrity the animal rights groups could get this year and the only people in this Parliament who are paying attention to that celebrity are members of the Conservative Party of Canada.

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I would like to commend the member for his work on the fisheries committee. We work with all parties and the fisheries committee does do some good work. We normally keep it in a non-partisan nature.

I would like to ask the member if he could put a human face on this industry for his province. In our province, there are sealers that draw 15% to 35% of their total income from the sealing industry. It is very important because at the beginning of the year this helps them get into the next fishery and helps them set up for the fishery after that, so this is a very important start to the fishing income.

I wonder if the hon. member could put a human face on it and explain how it would impact his area in Quebec like it has impacted the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I have two specific questions.

In his speech the member referred to how Prime Minister Harper is going to bring this up. If we read the newspapers today, one headline reads, “Harper to fight with EU over climate change”. He is going to the wall on climate change. Another headline reads, “European vote takes aim at seal hunt; Result won't derail free trade talks, says Harper spokesman”. He cannot have it both ways. Is he going to bat or not?

The member talked about going to the World Trade Organization over this. Why did the government not do it in April 2007 when Belgium and the Netherlands passed a ban in their countries on the importation of seal products? Nothing happened with the Conservative government in 2007.

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I listened to the member speak quite eloquently about the work that has been done by all ministers and all parliamentarians. However, when we talk about the fisheries ambassador, he is just one person trying to convince over 600 parliamentarians of the importance of this fishery. The government has really dropped the ball by putting all this pressure on one person. I hope the government does not use Mr. Sullivan as a scapegoat and blame him for this because he is only one individual. The government likes to say that it has embraced all parties but it has not. If it has, why did it not bring a delegation of all parliamentarians over to Europe this spring? It did not do that. It sent one person over to do all this work. It is a shame that it has come to that.

I am glad the parliamentary secretary trade is here tonight because maybe we can ask him some questions. We now have the European Union at the table discussing this very important issue. What do we hear? We hear that Canada is not expected to let the seal products bog down free trade talks. Let us think about that for a minute.

Is the minister telling the people of Canada that this issue is not important enough to allow it to bog down the talks? It is trying to lower tariffs on metal machinery but there is nothing about the seafood markets. What exactly will the government do for the fishing industry and the sealing industry at the trade table?

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Chair, it is a very serious debate we are having here this evening and it is a very important issue to many people on the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and for all of Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

The minister talked about the public misinformation campaign that is ongoing in the EU right now. I would like to know exactly what the government has done to counter that public campaign. How much advertising has the government done to try to counteract the campaign by the other groups?

My second question is on the World Trade Organization. Today the minister announced that she will be pursuing it through that particular organization, which is a good step. However, it will take two to three years before we see any results whatsoever through that process.

There is an opportunity now. The Prime Minister will be there tomorrow to talk in trade negotiations. So I would like the minister to be pretty specific, because something she said outside the House and the Minister of International Trade is contradictory in terms of exactly what the government's position is in the immediate three to four days when we are talking with the EU on trade. Maybe the minister could clarify her comments on that from earlier today versus the Minister of International Trade.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 5th, 2009]

With regard to the issue between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Department of Public Safety, and more specifically Correctional Services of Canada (CSC), regarding a new prison in Newfoundland and Labrador to be located in Harbour Grace: (a) are discussions currently ongoing between the federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador with regards to a new prison and, if so, (i) what is the status of these discussions, (ii) who has been involved in these discussions on behalf of the federal government, (iii) has there been any discussions with the federal Department of Finance or the Treasury Board Secretariat with regards to financing a new prison for Newfoundland and Labrador; and (b) has any investigation been undertaken with regard to structural requirements and, if so, (i) what is the capacity of any proposed new structure, (ii) what are estimated construction costs of a building to meet existing demand, (iii) what are the timelines for constructing such a facility?

[Customs Act, May 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am looking through the bill clause by clause, and I am a little concerned. I would like to get the member's comments on clause 2 of the bill, which gives the minister the power to directly authorize access to a customs-controlled area by a person. This is a new power given to the minister. It was previously regulated that the minister had this power.

I am a bit concerned that we would give a minister of the Crown that authority and that power. I wonder if the hon. member could elaborate on that particular clause of the bill.