Steven Blaney

[The Environment, October 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell you about a Prime Minister and a government who care about the fate of our planet and that of future generations.

While the Bloc Québécois does the only thing it is able to do, that is talk and criticize, our government is taking action, with $350 million for Quebec's green plan; regulations and mandatory targets for all major manufacturing sectors to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; the ecoenergy initiative and a $2.4 billion investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy sources; and leadership in support of the Montreal protocol to stop the ozone layer from being depleted 10 years earlier than anticipated and, as a bonus, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.5% worldwide.

In the 20 months they have been in power, the Conservatives have done more to counter climate change than the Bloc did in 17 years. While Bloc members bicker as usual, the Conservatives are taking meaningful steps toward a greener Quebec and a greener Canada.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the minister on her excellent speech and on the number of initiatives she is undertaking to promote linguistic duality in Quebec.

As she said, in the Speech from the Throne, the government clearly stated that it would support communities. Linguistic duality is obviously a part of Canada's cultural identity. In the Speech from the Throne, the government made a commitment to continuing with the Action Plan for Official Languages. I would like to congratulate the minister on this initiative.

Francophone communities across the country have had a very favourable reaction to the Speech from the Throne.

I have a question for the minister. In the 2007 budget, an additional $30 million was set aside for promoting linguistic duality. Could the minister tell us how this amount will be spent and explain how it is helping our francophone and anglophone communities across the country?

[Speech from the Throne, October 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, what will it take for the Bloc to support the Speech from the Throne?

Our government is not only supporting supply management and supporting our Quebec farmers in a tangible manner, but is also finally proposing to limit federal spending power in areas of provincial responsibility.

In the October 17 La Presse, André Pratte said that parties that vote against the throne speech would be opposing a measure sought by the Quebec governments for 40 years.

Is that what one would call defending Quebec's best interests?

It does not produce any tangible results, and the Bloc members would be voting against the Quebec governments. How ironic.

One thing is sure: for 20 months, Conservative members in Quebec have been taking action and working tirelessly to make a stronger Quebec within a united Canada. The Bloc can continue to defend its partisan interests; our government will continue to deliver the goods in the interests of Quebeckers and Canadians. That is open federalism.

[Canada Transportation Act, June 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our government introduced a bold bill to regulate the activities of railway companies, particularly to deal with noise in the vicinity of marshalling yards.

This bill was debated at length and was even improved by members of all parties in committee, after lengthy discussions, in order to protect citizens and to ensure that their rights are respected.

Unfortunately, the Senate diluted the bill by giving in to pressure from the railway companies. Consequently, Bill C-11 will not benefit from the improvements made by the members of this House. It is regrettable that some members of the Senate substantially altered a bill adopted by Parliament and did not respect the will of those elected by the people, even members of their own party.

Rather than playing ping-pong with the Senate and having the bill delayed indefinitely, we will forge ahead in order to provide Canadians with the means to limit unreasonable noise near marshalling years, after years of waiting. Despite the obstacles, our government is doing its job.

[The Environment, June 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, at the G-8 summit in Germany, our Prime Minister invited all the countries to adopt a common strategy for fighting climate change. This initiative is consistent with our green plan, which will allow Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 and reduce atmospheric pollution by 50% by 2015.

Unfortunately, through their powerlessness, the Bloc members were complicit in the Liberal inaction and the 35% increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the country. While the Bloc will never actually be able to do anything about this and just keeps talking, we want and can take action and are indeed actually doing something. In fact, Quebec's environment minister recently reiterated that the $350 million from the Canada ecotrust will allow Quebec to achieve the objectives of its action plan.

Fortunately, we now have Conservative MPs from Quebec and a government that is getting things done in the interest of the country through a concrete plan, mandatory standards for all industry sectors and greenhouse gas reduction targets that are realistic and will be met.

[Death of Two Laval University Students, June 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to your attention the tragedy that has struck a family from Lévis.

You are undoubtedly aware of the unfortunate accident that caused the death of two Laval University students on May 28 in Bolivia. The young women were on field training for an agricultural economics course and decided to end their stay with a vacation in a small community. The hotel where they decided to spend the night they died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty heating system.

One of these students, Andréanne Lacroix-Pelletier, was the daughter of Hélène Lacroix and Clarence Pelletier, a lung specialist at Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Lévis. In a cruel twist of fate, these same parents lost their older daughter in January in an automobile accident. They had only these two children.

The spirit of human solidarity makes it impossible to pass over such circumstances in silence. I wish to extend, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, sincere sympathy and support to these bereaved families.

[Wage Earner Protection Program Act, June 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, 16 long months have gone by since all parties in this House unanimously passed Bill C-55, which received royal assent during the previous Parliament. Wage earner protection provisions will ensure that workers get paid if their employer goes bankrupt.

Can the Minister of Labour explain what has changed since all of the parties agreed to fast-track this bill and why hard-working Canadians and Quebeckers still do not have this important protection?

[Canada Summer Jobs, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few days, community organizations from Lévis, Bellechasse and Etchemins have contacted me to express their great satisfaction since being granted one, two or sometimes even several summer jobs, thereby contributing to the betterment of our communities.

Contrary to the Bloc Québécois' claims, the new Canada summer jobs program is providing generous funding this year to non-profit organizations throughout Quebec and Canada.

I was in Lévis yesterday to announce $37,000 in funding for Phars, an organization that provides care for people with disabilities. Thanks to that funding, 16 students, a record number, will be hired, thus giving them valuable work experience. This is in addition to the support given to Nouvel Essor in Lac-Etchemin, L'A-Droit de Chaudière-Appalaches in Lévis, the Société du Patrimoine de Sainte-Justine, Travail Jeunesse in Lévis, as well as jobs in Saint-Magloire and Sainte-Claire, to name only a few.

While the Bloc Québécois can only squawk on the opposition benches with no results, our government is taking action for our youth and our community organizations. We are keeping our word.

[Business of Supply, May 17th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, my question is for the hon. parliamentary secretary.

I talked about the mission in Afghanistan to describe the extent of the improvements that have been made, the importance of reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and how much our troops have contributed, within NATO, particularly by opening schools for young girls.

My question is very simple. What progress has been made so far in our reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan?

[Business of Supply, May 17th, 2007]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I would like to acknowledge all the members present for this committee of the whole.

Mr. Chair, I ask you to indicate when my first 10 minutes are up, so that I may put a few questions to the parliamentary secretary.

It is a privilege to participate in today's discussion on Department of National Defence spending. First, I would like to highlight the exceptional contribution of the Minister of National Defence, for the remarkable reconstruction efforts of the Canadian Forces after, and it must be said, years of inactivity and inaction.

As the minister explained, the success of our troops' operations is one of our government's priorities. He often says that we want the Canadian Forces to succeed in every operation we assign them. Even when we have the best soldiers—Canadian soldiers—we must still ensure that they have everything they need to accomplish their mission. This includes planning, training, logistical support and first-rate equipment. This is why the Department of National Defence must meet their needs. It knows that it must use its resources wisely if it wants to keep its Canadian security commitments.

Why is it important that we succeed in our missions? Because lives depend on it. I will give two examples of situations where lives can be saved here in Canada: search and rescue and natural disaster response.

Operational success is also crucial for other reasons. These operations enhance our international image and influence, as they have done in the past. They demonstrate our leadership role and help uphold our values in the rest of the world.

Keeping that in mind, I would now like to talk specifically about Canada's mission in Afghanistan, which is currently employing a large proportion of our troops. In fact, it is the main operation of the Canadian Forces. Our presence in Afghanistan serves Canadian interests. Why? Because it helps prevent international terrorism here, which poses a threat to our national security. We saw that last year in Toronto and in the rest of the world as well. Failing states, which are in disarray, are breeding grounds for terrorism. Before we and our allies were present in Afghanistan, it was a source and centre of terrorism. We are there to support our friends and allies.

As hon. members know, we are part of an operation in Afghanistan involving 37 countries, led by NATO and mandated by the United Nations. Like the other members of this international force, we are in Afghanistan at the invitation of the Afghan government to help the Afghans rebuild their country. Our efforts are improving the lives of millions of Afghans who have suffered through decades of war. Using a three-pronged approach—development, diplomacy and security—we are helping them take charge of their own future.

All these initiatives are part of a plan known as the Afghanistan compact, which involves nearly 60 countries. The compact sets benchmarks for security, governance and development in Afghanistan. Our Canadian troops are making an invaluable contribution to this compact, because we know that without security, there is neither governance nor development. These three areas of activity are closely linked and reinforce each other.

Let us talk a little about security. Since 2002, more than 18,000 men and women of the Canadian Forces have served in Afghanistan. The work Canada has done and continues to do there with the international community contributes to the relative stability that reigns in most of the country. In Kabul, the economy is flourishing and the streets are filled with people tending to their daily activities. The north and west of the country are also relatively stable. However there is still a strong Taliban presence gripping the south. Success in this region is essential to the entire NATO mission.

That is why our country has committed up to 2,500 soldiers to help stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan. Next August, our soldiers from Valcartier, Quebec, will relieve their fellow troops in the great Quebec military tradition.

Most of these troops are deployed in the south of the country, in the province of Kandahar. Twelve Canadian Forces members from Lévis—in the riding I represent—who are members of the 6th Field Regiment, are currently serving in Afghanistan. We are not the only ones in southern Afghanistan. Other countries are there with us. There are nearly 12,000 troops on the base in Kandahar. We are there with our NATO allies and our partners in order to provide assistance to this region of Afghanistan that needs our help.

When the Canadians arrived in Kandahar in February 2006, it was one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan. Every one of us here today knows the burden this mission has placed on our troops and their families. However, their sacrifices in Kandahar are paying off and in just a year they have made impressive progress. They have driven back some of the Taliban's strongholds in order to make room for development and reconstruction.

We know that the Afghans want to ensure their own security.

The Canadian Forces are working tirelessly to help create Afghan security capabilities. They are involved in joint military operations with the Afghan national army. The skill and professionalism shown by that army as it joins forces with ours in the operation are in large part attributable to the guidance provide by Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams, which are nicknamed “omelets”, from their acronym, OMLT. Despite their English acronym, a number of them come from Valcartier. I had the opportunity to meet them during my January visit over there with the Standing Committee on National Defence.

Thanks to the improved security, projects can be stepped up and extended to development and reconstruction projects. With long term security, the Afghans are able to take control of their country and their lives, which means rebuilding the essential institutions and infrastructure we take for granted here.

In Kandahar, these reconstruction efforts are being coordinated through the combined efforts of the PRT, or provincial reconstruction team, and local Afghan leaders. This 330-member team is made up of members of the Canadian Forces, a contingent of civilian police officers under RCMP direction, and representatives of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Correctional Service of Canada, and the Canadian International Development Agency. The horizontal nature of this mission is evident.

Together, they are delivering highly useful services to the local population on behalf of the Afghan government. These services in fact help to beef up the presence of the Afghan government in the Kandahar region. The PRT distributes food and delivers immunization programs. In addition to its numerous development activities, it carries out demining operations.

The following are some of the concrete projects that have been carried out by the provincial reconstruction team: 55 km of canal; two dam bypasses; restoration of 120 km of rural roads in order to provide Afghan villagers with access to the market; installation of 7 km of high tension power supply lines; construction of 1,100 shallow wells and 13 deep ones in order to provide the decent drinking water essential for any human activity. These projects are part of the Afghan government's national solidarity program, which is giving rural Afghans a say in development via elected community development councils.

These successful reconstruction and development projects will help to gain the confidence of the rural Afghans.

Warrant Officer Dean Henley is one example of a master confidence builder. In Kandahar province, in the town of Bazar-e-Panjwayi, he is knows as the “Prince of Panjwayi”. On pay days he turns up with a suitcase packed with money for the locals working in “money for work” projects. Like many other members of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, he has a strong belief in the work our troops are doing there, which is why he has even asked for an extension of his deployment.

Then there is the whole governance aspect.

In Kabul there is a 15-member strategic advisory team helping the Afghan government put in place a fully democratic government with administrative and responsibility centres at all government levels.

Clearly, this is an extensive and complex mission and an excellent illustration of all the strengths of our Canadian troops and the reasons we are so proud of what they have done and continue to do.