Stephen Harper

[Veterans, May 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I know nothing about this case. However, I can assure the House of Commons that it is the government's policy to pay the travel expenses of our veterans.

Despite the age of these veterans, we have a large delegation, and I will be proud to be with them in Normandy.

[Justice, May 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have been very clear on that question. The government will follow the decision of the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada. I repeat again, of course, that we agree with the majority decision.

I would point out the difficulty that this is going to create going forward. This means that Quebec judges will have less opportunity in our court system. This means that judges from Quebec on the Federal Court will be second-class judges without the same eligibility requirements as their colleagues from other parts of the country. It also means that we will have increasing difficulty recruiting Quebec judges for the Federal Court and maintaining it as an important national institution. However, that is the decision and we will abide by it.

[Justice, May 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last week it was alleged that I was not aware of an issue regarding the eligibility of judges for appointment to the Supreme Court.

I was fully aware of the issue and, at the same time, I expressed my concerns about the possibility that this issue could be brought before the courts. For that reason, I consulted independent experts. We accepted the advice of those experts and that was the appropriate course of action.

[Foreign Affairs, May 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, once again, let me repeat what the Minister of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

We condemn what has gone on with Boko Haram in the strongest possible terms. This is truly a crime against innocent individuals and we are very concerned by the growth of what is a very extreme terrorist organization.

Obviously, there have been discussions between our government authorities in Nigeria. We are willing to provide a range of assistance and that offer, of course, remains open.

[Employment, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is passing strange that the Liberal Party would ask us to support its own flip-flop on the temporary foreign worker program.

I notice the first line is to order the Auditor General to do something. Of course, we do not order the Auditor General to do things. The Auditor General has in the past audited the temporary foreign worker program. The government accepted all of those recommendations and has been acting on them.

[Employment, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this is an enormous change for the Liberal Party, which has been urging us to bring in more temporary foreign workers and has been rejecting all of the government's proposals to limit the intake.

It is my strong view that it is always preferable that jobs be filled by Canadians. That is essential. If Canadians are available for work, then Canadians should get those jobs. On the other hand, if there are jobs that cannot be filled by Canadians, I believe strongly that we should try to bring people to Canada so they can become, in most cases, permanent residents. That is what the government seeks.

[Justice, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, that is all wrong. It is out of respect for the independence of the courts that the prime minister does not discuss an issue if he believes that it may go before the courts in the future. For that reason, we consulted independent experts and we acted on their advice.

[Justice, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I categorically reject the premise of that question.

The fact is this. In terms of the eligibility question, it was my understanding that this was a matter that could go before the court. In fact, the government later referred the matter to the court. For that reason, I chose not to have a discussion with the court on that question, but instead to discuss it with independent legal experts, and we acted on their advice.

[Justice, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have already answered that question. It is clear. The Supreme Court decision on Mr. Nadon is clear. As I said, unfortunately there are consequences to that decision.

They are now saying that Federal Court judges from Quebec are second class judges and are ineligible to sit on the Supreme Court like their counterparts from the other provinces do. This will make it hard to recruit Quebec judges to the Supreme Court and it will limit the national character of this important federal institution.

[Justice, May 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have already been clear on that. We will act according the letter and spirit of the Supreme Court decision.

Now, on the matter at hand, as I have said before, last week it was suggested that the government, before making its appointment, had not been aware of the eligibility question. On the contrary, I and the government were well aware of that. We felt that this question might come before the court, and for that reason we consulted with independent legal and constitutional experts and acted according to their advice.