Wayne Easter

[Public Safety, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, today there is another ISIS video calling for attacks on Canadians. This video is by a Canadian who has been known to the RCMP for two years.

Months ago we asked why, of the 80 individuals returned to Canada after suspected terrorist acts abroad, none have been arrested. The minister claims he cannot interfere, yet he has, stating that these individuals have violated Canadian law.

He is clear on the violation, and he is Canada's top law enforcement officer. Why has this minister not acted and taken these terrorists off Canada's streets?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I know this is not the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, but clearly from the remarks, the government, or whoever is talking to the industry, is certainly talking to different players in the industry than we are. The story the member purports to tell on behalf of the government is not what we are hearing from industry.

Industry believes it needs a perishable commodities act that would do the same as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act in the U.S. did. What is on the table, as industry tell us clearly, will not do what was previously in place. This is what industry is asking for.

However, what we see in the exchange here is that the government seems to go by its own agenda and does not really listen to producers. I am saying that the government should listen to what producers are saying and help them out.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member of Parliament for Sydney—Victoria and I raised a series of questions on the inadequacy of the government's response to protect Canadian producers as a result of the loss of our access to the United States Perishable Agriculture Commodities Act. For those who do not understand the background on this issue, let me explain what happened.

Until now, Canadian exporters have had the same rates as American suppliers to recover payments quickly and efficiently if a buyer refuses to pay or declares bankruptcy with unpaid bills. That seriously impacts producers, as we know. When farmers grow products, process them and send them into a business, they expect to be paid. In fact, the consequences of non-payment of those bills could force a single producer or supplier out of business.

Canadian exporters have had special access to the United States Perishable Agriculture Commodities Act, or PACA, as it is best known by, and that access has been revoked. The fact is that our trade in fresh produce with the United States is worth about $1.6 billion. There are a lot of dollars at risk and a lot of risk to Canadian producers in the supply chain.

The Canadian government knew for a considerable time the protection was at risk because the United States had been warning of the loss of that special privilege. However, the Conservative government failed to be prepared when it happened and, as a result, both Canadian producers and consumers could be seriously affected.

There are 140,000 Canadians employed in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry and without the protection of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, the risk of someone not paying his or her bills for produce that has already gone to market would be multiplied many fold.

I know the parliamentary secretary will respond that consultations are ongoing and, yes, I recognize that. However, the problem is that consultations are a two-way street and government has to listen to what industry and producers are saying. The proposal from the government is not acceptable to producers and they have made that clear.

As I said in my question, that proposal from the government will not work and the industry has told that to the government. The facts are that Canadian fruit and vegetable sellers have had long-standing protection under the United States law, and they no longer have that protection as of October 1. As a result, jobs and Canadian farmers are at serious risk. Industry has made it clear that it needs a Canadian-made perishable commodities act, and that is the only option to protect produce suppliers. Why not implement that viable option?

[Takeover of Stelco, December 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I did appreciate the member's remarks. He is correct; this is not the only industry or company that has been lost to Canada.

I could not help but sit here while the member was talking and think about what Mel Hurtig would be saying about this issue. Thirty years ago, he warned about these kinds of takeover and the loss of Canadian industries. That is what we are seeing.

I just want to congratulate the member for standing up for the steel industry in Canada. We need to see more of that. We are seeing an erosion of Canadian workers and Canadian industries with the current government. It is a serious problem.

[Archibald Johnstone, November 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the passing of Senator Archibald Johnstone recently.

Summoned to the Senate in 1998, Archie was most proud of his work for veterans, and especially the all-party committee report with ideas to assist fellow veterans.

He served as a crew member with the RCAF heavy bomber squadron, flying sorties over Europe during World War II. Returning home, he worked with his father to develop Woodleigh Replicas and originated Rainbow Valley, both being some of P.E.I.'s beloved tourist destinations.

Showing active leadership, he served as president of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture and as director of the Island Tourism Association. An entrepreneur at heart, he was involved in wholesaling, heavy construction and many other business ventures.

Retired, he never slowed down, and at age 77 took to writing books, publishing several on topics ranging from bomber command to collections on well-known Islanders.

His love for his wife, Phelicia, showed through in all he did.

[Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, November 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member may want to misrepresent the House. We are not laughing over here, and no one smeared anglers and hunters. I will not take that from that member opposite. If he wants to exaggerate, he can do it, but tell him to stick to the facts if you would, Mr. Speaker.

[Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, November 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, what a line we are getting from the member who is probably as much responsible as the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food for destroying the Canadian Wheat Board as a marketing institution in this country. As we know, that has cost farmers a great deal of money. Now we cannot even get any information on that Wheat Board.

Be that as it may, the member can try and exaggerate all the stories he would like. I am proud to have been here for 21 years. I have listened to the public. We know where the public stands on the gun registry. Our leader has made it clear that we are not going to bring back the gun registry. We want to ensure that Canadians are safe and we will do that by other means, and no, we are not interested in banning guns in this country.

The member can get on with all the exaggeration he likes. We know the Conservatives are really doing this for fundraising activities and they cater to that right-wing base that used to give them money and they need a little more from it. That is partly what this bill is all about.

Our party believes in public safety. We are going to speak out in the interests of: first, law-abiding gun owners and hunters, and we would like to pass those five recommendations; and second, we are going to speak out and ensure that there is public safety in this country and that guns are not an issue that would affect that.

[Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, November 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it really would make us wonder why the government would not want to do that. The Conservatives claim to support law-abiding gun owners, farmers and hunters. This is their opportunity to do so.

My colleague would know that the leader of the party has a catch-phrase, “hope and hard work”. We are willing to put the hard work in and we hope that the government would come on side, so that we could get those five points through by Christmas for the gun owners, farmers and hunters.

That would be a good thing, but we need more time on the other aspects, the politicization of the classification of guns, the transport of guns. We need more time to hear witnesses properly to ensure that the Canadian public and police officers in this country are safe as a result of these amendments, which I do believe will damage public safety in Canada.

[Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, November 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that it points to the politicization of classifications. I am pleased to see the minister here and I am pleased to see him get on his feet and raise questions.

I would hope that he would encourage his parliamentary secretary and the members on the committee to give us ample time to have witnesses and to have the proper hearings on the bill at committee. I would hope that he rethinks overnight that maybe the bill should be split, so that we could pass those elements that I think a number of us could agree on, or even get all-party agreement for once, that would help law-abiding gun owners. It would be a good thing to get it through fast and then deal with those other issues that are of public safety concern.

However, I really find it remarkably strange when a minister of the crown, in charge of the RCMP, comes out with a press release as just an MP and puts it on the Conservative website, and attacks the very people he is supposed to be in charge of and minister of as unelected bureaucrats. I have never seen it before, but it is not becoming of the minister.

[Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, November 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly would not want to go beyond the parliamentary rules.

The fact is that during the briefing with staff in the minister's office on this legislation, we received confirmation that easing the transportation regulations would mean that transport between locations, other than those that were a condition of licence, would be possible with the passing of the bill. That would open up all kinds of problems, as the New Democratic member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca said earlier in naming all the areas that under the bill weapons could be transported.

Now it gets confusing. How can the police be sure that someone is going from point A to point B? How can we be sure that the individual, with that gun locked and no ammunition in the trunk, is not going to stop at a grocery store, or a Canadian Tire store or a service station to get gas? That is the risk and the Minister of Public Safety is willing to accept that risk. That is wrong in the interests of public safety for Canadians.