10413 OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) House of Commons Debates VOLUME 147 NUMBER 159 2nd SESSION 41st PARLIAMENT Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) COMMONS DEBATES December 10, 2014 DEBATES Edited Hansard * Table of Contents * Number 159 (Official Version) Official Report * Table of Contents * Number 159 (Official Version) Compte rendu officiel * Table des matières * Numéro 159 (Version officielle) 147 159 10 12 2014 2014/12/10 14:05:00 House of Commons Débats de la Chambre des communes House of Commons Debates 41 2 The House met at 2 p.m.

Prayers Statements by Members (1405) [ English ] The Speaker : It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem, led by the hon. member for Vancouver Centre . [ Members sang the national anthem ]

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Statements by Members [ Translation ] Quebec's Concerns Mr. Louis Plamondon (Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, BQ) : Mr. Speaker, there are two striking facts that sum up this most recent parliamentary session: a strong resurgence of the fiscal imbalance and the federalist parties' complete lack of consideration for Quebec's environmental concerns. The pipeline, which has sparked a wave of concern throughout Quebec, does not seem to upset the three federalist parties in Ottawa. They all spoke out in favour of the route. The National Energy Board sees Quebec as just another lobbyist.

We are not the masters of our own destiny. The Bloc Québécois, of course, knows that it is not up to the National Energy Board to make decisions on behalf of Quebeckers. It is now clear that Quebec's concerns are being ignored. The federal government prefers to boost the auto and oil industries and does not seem to believe in the principle of boosting and protecting the forestry and cheese industries. We know we have our work cut out for us. We are the only party that cares about and defends Quebec's interests at all times, without compromise.

[ English ] Pamela Hardisty Mr. Larry Maguire (Brandon—Souris, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the holiday season is a time to reflect and appreciate those who have made contributions to Parliament. I wish to thank all of our staff and parliamentary employees who have worked so hard throughout the year to enable MPs to serve their constituents effectively. I wish at this time to note in particular the contributions of Pamela Hardisty, a former assistant parliamentary librarian, who passed away in Surrey, British Columbia, on November 7, at the age of 95. Pamela Hardisty was born and raised in Manitoba.

She obtained a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Manitoba and a master's degree in library science from the University of Toronto. In 1962, Pamela became the assistant parliamentary librarian. She was the first woman to attain this position. Pamela Hardisty was a dedicated employee for 22 years at the Library of Parliament. Her contributions will always be remembered.

Human Rights Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the 66th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's unanimous adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is a time to celebrate our equal rights to freedom, equality, and justice, as established under the universal declaration and the law. However, it is also an opportunity to reiterate our commitment to promoting and advancing these concepts in our society. New Democrats believe that upholding human rights must be a central organizing principle of Canada's domestic and foreign policy.

In many places around the world, people continue to be persecuted for their beliefs, their ideals, and their convictions. We need to keep working to protect those fundamental freedoms as they continue to come under threat and to be abused. Today and every day, we must commit to protecting human rights and to building a more just and prosperous society in Canada and around the world.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Mrs. Cathy McLeod (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, last week there was a horrific event in my riding of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, when RCMP member Corporal Jean Rene Michaud was shot while on duty. I know the whole community joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to Corporal Michaud and his family while he is recovering in hospital. Events such as this are dark reminders of the dangers front-line RCMP officers across the country are putting themselves in every day of the year.

They will be serving, as we spend time with our families on Christmas Eve and as we sit down to our Christmas dinners, defending and protecting Canadians and their communities. It is important that we extend our appreciation and thanks to those who serve on our behalf. These are individuals who have built a reputation for ensuring a safe and secure Canada. The RCMP is an organization that is recognized around the world for the courage and accomplishments demonstrated by its members. I thank the RCMP and I thank Corporal Jean Rene Michaud for his service.

Christmas Mr. Rodger Cuzner (Cape Breton—Canso, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, 'Twas the week before Christmas and Canadians were keen, To witness a parliamentary nativity scene. There are lots of bad actors in this political fray, So I took up the task of casting this play. The Prime Minister thought there may be a chance, But said, “First let me check with the boys in short pants”. The kids all agreed, “All our ministers are in”, But when you look at the lineup, the talent's quite thin. I said, “Not to be mean or even unkind, But I don't think three wise men will be easy to find”.

And the gifts they would bear, frankincense, myrrh, and gold, Will take 50 years to deliver, I'm told. I then got an email from the PMO lads, “We're going to promote it with action plan ads”. So Joseph was a carpenter, a fixer of note, Our honourable Speaker would garner my vote. The cranky innkeeper who showed little heart, The government House leader might like that part. The good shepherd should be played by a brave and strong voice, Our Sergeant-at-Arms is the obvious choice. But who'll play the Saviour, God's only son? How 'bout someone born Christmas Day, 1971.

(1410) Sport Mr. Phil McColeman (Brant, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, here in Canada, children and their families are exposed to a wide variety of opportunities to participate in sports, and many dream of achieving sporting excellence. My community of Brantford-Brant is no exception. It has been blessed with elite athletes having reached the highest levels of achievement.

There are names like Gaylord Powless, perhaps the best lacrosse player the world has ever seen; Kevin Sullivan, Tom Longboat, Debbie Miller, and Rick Mannen, in track and field; local Red Sox legends Jimmy Wilkes and Ron Stead; the NFL's Nick Kaczur; CFLers Joe Pikula and Dave Clarke; and, of course, a long list of hockey superstars, including the NHL's all-time “iron man”, Doug Jarvis, and the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky. Their stories, iconic memorabilia, and more are now on display in the magnificent new Brantford & Area Sports Hall of Recognition inside the Wayne Gretzky Sports complex.

Be sure to visit and experience the stories of over 60 proud Canadian athletes who have left their mark on the world of sports.

[ Translation ] Quebec City Native Friendship Centre Ms. Alexandrine Latendresse (Louis-Saint-Laurent, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to rise to recognize the Centre d'amitié autochtone de Québec, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last week. The centre helps first nations members living on reserve in the Quebec City region and provides services related to all aspects of modern life. The list is long: assistance with housing, food and clothing, daycare, homework help, homelessness prevention and free Internet access. It also has a whole range of programs geared to aboriginal youth.

Café Roreke, which is located inside the centre, organizes benefit suppers and offers a catering service to raise funds to pay for even more projects to help the community. The Centre d'amitié autochtone de Québec enriches my community by building and strengthening bridges between different cultures and by offering precious help to those who need it. I would like to thank all of the people who got the centre started and who have since turned it into a real treasure for the people of Louis-Saint-Laurent. Happy 25th anniversary.

[ English ] Forestry Industry of British Columbia Mr. Colin Mayes (Okanagan—Shuswap, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the B.C. forest industry has been the backbone of the B.C. economy for the last century. Over the past century, forestry practices, environmental protection, and business models have improved to the point that the B.C. forest industry is recognized globally for its innovation. Today, more trees are planted than harvested every year. Use of wood fibre per tree has increased from 66% to over 90% today, and the industry has become more efficient and profitable through technological advancement applications.

Our Conservative government has partnered with the forest industry to expand their access to new international markets, especially in the Pacific Rim. We have also invested in research and the development of new wood fibre products and have funded energy efficiency in the industry. The B.C. forest industry, through innovation, has positioned itself for the next century, which will provide jobs and prosperity for all Canadians in the future.

Firearms Mr. Jim Eglinski (Yellowhead, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport shooters know that there is only one party that will stand up for a safe and sensible firearms policy. It is not the Liberal Party, whose leader said it would bring back the long gun registry and makes claims about firearms laws that either show a deep cynicism or a fundamental misunderstanding of how the firearms laws work. It is not the NDP, who has committed to bringing back the gun registry and tracking every gun in Canada. It is our Conservative government.

We have taken numerous actions to make our firearms policy safe and sensible. We ended the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry once and for all, and introduced the common sense firearms act. We will always stand up for law-abiding hunters, farmers and sport shooters.

[ Translation ] Motor Vehicle Safety Act Mr. Hoang Mai (Brossard—La Prairie, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, today we will be voting on my bill, Bill C-603, which seeks to make side guards on heavy trucks mandatory. (1415) [ English ] We can and we must save lives. It is not time for politics. The coroners of Ontario and Quebec are very clear: side guards save lives.

To members who believe that the studies are inconclusive, I invite them to vote in favour of the bill at this stage, so that we can hear from experts at committee. [ Translation ] When I introduced my bill, I said that we must not wait for another death to occur before taking action. We have waited too long already. [ English ] Families should not have to lose loved ones while waiting for Parliament to take action. The time to act is now. We must support this bill.

The Environment Mrs. Pat Perkins (Whitby—Oshawa, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, while Canada's economy is better than many, and that is thanks to this government's careful stewardship, we remain on the road to recovery. Introducing a carbon tax would be detrimental on this road to economic recovery. This government believes in the importance of a strong economy and refuses to weigh it down with another tax on Canadian families, contrary to the NDP and Liberals who have repeatedly called for increased taxes on Canadians. To bring in a job-killing carbon tax would be irresponsible.

Our government is standing up for hard-working Canadians. Our Conservative government will never punish Canadians with the job killing carbon tax.

Caregivers Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Parkdale—High Park, the riding that I represent, is home to many women who come to Canada through the live-in caregiver program. They leave their families behind to come here and look after our children and our relatives, but this government does not care about their safety. Instead of addressing the vulnerability and precariousness caused by their status here, the government would rather keep these women from building a life by imposing caps on applications for permanent residency.

The government should address the real issues these women face, such as exploitation and unsafe working conditions that are the result of employer-tied work permits and high recruitment fees. Only then will caregivers be safe in Canada, something every person in this country deserves.

The Environment Mr. Chris Warkentin (Peace River, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government believes that money belongs in the pockets of Canadian families. The opposition believes that money belongs in government's pockets. It is no secret that the opposition would like to bring forward a job-killing carbon tax. A carbon tax would raise the price on everything, including fuel in Victoria, groceries in lqaluit and home heating in St. John's. It is a tax that no Canadian wants. Canadians know that government cannot tax its way to the top, though the opposition disagrees.

The Liberals and NDP keep trying to get their hands into the pockets of Canadians, which is why they continue to push for a job-killing carbon tax that will raise the price on everything.

Jean Béliveau Hon. Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, as the great Jean Béliveau is taken to his final place of rest in Montreal, we in this House wish to pay our last respects to the celebrated Gros Bill. [ Translation ] He was known for his greatness, elegance and generosity, and let us not forget his incredible simplicity—the trademark of a real hero. Everything seemed easy for this man who exuded class, but no one rises to the top of a sport without overcoming many obstacles.

It was pure talent that led No. 4 to 10 Stanley Cup victories, but his strength of character and his sense of sacrifice also played a role. Did anyone exemplify teamwork better than this great captain? He was a captain on and off the ice. I do not know what was more admirable, his athletic achievements or the attention he paid to every child who crossed his path. Le Gros Bill has hung up his skates, but his memory will live on forever in the hearts of young and old alike. Thank you, Jean Béliveau.

(1420) [ English ] Taxation Mr. Blaine Calkins (Wetaskiwin, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, under the strong leadership of our Prime Minister , our government is on track to balance Canada's budget. We are now in a position to help Canadian families balance theirs. Our plan gives new money to 100% of families with children, and the majority of benefits go to low and middle-income families.

With the enhancement of the universal child care benefit, moms and dads in communities like Bentley, Eckville, Millet and Blackfalds in the riding of Wetaskiwin, and across this country, will receive nearly $2,000 per year for every child under six and $720 per year for every child between the ages of six and 17. However, the NDP and Liberals want to take this money away and spend it on expensive government programs and bureaucracy. Instead of giving the decision-making power to parents, the NDP and Liberals want Ottawa bureaucrats to tell families what they get to do. That is not right.

We know Canadian families deserve to make their own decisions and we are proud to be the only party standing up for them.

Conservative Party of Canada Mr. Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, Canadians are starting to wonder whatever happened to those Conservatives who rode into power promising to change Ottawa because instead they see that Ottawa has changed the Conservatives. The Conservatives promised to clean up the mess from the Liberal sponsorship scandal and instead gave us Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright. They promised to end the decade of darkness in our military and instead brought in a decade of darkness for our veterans.

They promised on a stack of bibles that they would regulate the oil and gas sector and now they call that very same policy crazy. They promised to do something about the economy, but now we see 400,000 lost manufacturing jobs and the temporary foreign worker fiasco. Here is a new year's resolution for Canadians: 2015 is just around the corner, let us stand shoulder-to-shoulder united and kick these Conservatives to the curb.

Christmas Mrs. Nina Grewal (Fleetwood—Port Kells, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, it is Christmastime and Canadians are decorating their homes, buying presents and baking Christmas treats. However, it is a shame that many feel the need to abandon their traditions to appease the sensibilities of non-Christians. Being respectful of the beliefs of others should not require anyone to water down their own beliefs. What makes Canada great is that people are free to believe, celebrate and practise the faith they choose without worrying about offending others, Christianity and Christmas included.

I am a Sikh and I am not offended when people celebrate Christmas in a traditional way. Instead of silly political correctness, all of us should feel proud in our traditions and beliefs, and rejoice in this season of joy, peace and goodwill. Merry Christmas to everyone.

ORAL QUESTIONS Oral Questions [ Translation ] The Environment Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister said that it was crazy to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a policy he has been promising for seven years now. His economic policy, which relies solely on the price of oil in world markets, is a failure. The provinces are fulfilling their responsibilities, despite the federal government's inaction. There are now more jobs in the green energy sector than in the oil sector.

Will the Conservatives apologize for failing in their obligations and weakening our economy? [ English ] Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, to be clear, the Prime Minister said Canada would not take unilateral action to regulate the oil and gas sector. This is a North American issue that needs a North American solution. We have always said we would like to work collaboratively with the United States on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the oil and gas sector.

Canadians need to know that we are the first government in Canadian history to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are doing so without the NDP and Liberal job-killing carbon tax. Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it was the policy of the government until it was not and it was the policy of the government on Monday, until the Prime Minister said it was crazy.

In February 2013, the then minister of the environment said, “We are now well into, and very close to finalizing, regulations for the oil and gas sector.” Could the Conservatives tell us if that was true, or were they deliberately misleading Canadians when they said that?

(1425) Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, as I said, we are the first government in Canadian history to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we are doing so without the NDP and Liberal carbon tax. Given the current conditions of the oil and gas sector, it would be reckless economic policy to unilaterally impose greenhouse gas emission regulations and penalties on the oil and gas sector. This is an integrated industry and regulations of greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector must be done on a continental basis.

Our government is reducing greenhouse gas emissions while preserving, protecting and creating Canadian jobs. Ms. Megan Leslie (Halifax, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, he says on a continental basis, so this is a simple question. Could the Prime Minister , or anyone over there on the government side, tell us the last time he spoke with President Barack Obama about creating harmonized oil and gas regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, let us compare our policies to the reckless policies of the NDP.

What the New Democrats would like to do is put our oil and gas sector at an economic disadvantage compared to the United States. They want to gamble with 275,000 Canadian jobs. These are jobs that rely on the oil and gas sector. We are not going to put Canadians out of work and we are not going to put in a job-killing carbon tax.

[ Translation ] Veterans Affairs Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, that is a crazy response. After his about-face on climate change, yesterday the Prime Minister also changed his mind on the veterans charter. After eight years in power, the Prime Minister now describes the charter as a Liberal policy. It is time to take responsibility. Does this mean the Conservatives are no longer in favour of the lump sum payments? Will the government finally drop its current case against Canada's veterans? [ English ] Mr.

Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that the government does not comment on issues that are before the courts. Our government has made substantial investments to help Canada's veterans, even though the opposition continues to vote against them. Some of our recent initiatives are: the road to mental health programs; the mental health first aid program; a new operational stress injury clinic in Halifax, with satellite offices across the country in St.

John's, Chicoutimi, Pembroke, Brockville, Kelowna, Victoria, Montreal and the greater Toronto area. Mr. Peter Julian (Burnaby—New Westminster, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep attacking veterans in court and veterans deserve better. Yesterday, the Prime Minister referred to the veterans charter as a previous Liberal policy, but his government has been pursuing this policy for the last eight years. We have also learned that the biggest clawback in spending for Veterans Affairs was in health care and disability payments for services veterans sorely need.

The Conservatives overspent by 17% for internal services, such as propaganda, advertising and executive bonuses. What poor management. It is crazy to keep this minister. Why does he still have a job? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the opposition is focused on protecting the big government junior jobs at Veterans Affairs, while voting against support for Canadian veterans.

For example, we on this side of the House have eliminated nearly 100 positions in the veterans independence program by no longer requiring veterans to submit receipts for expenses like snow clearing, yard maintenance and home cleaning. We will continue to stand up for Canada's veterans. Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, over $1 billion in support for veterans was promised by the government, approved by Parliament, but never delivered. Eight specialized service centres were closed. Hundreds of front-line support staff were fired.

Mental health wait times for vets stretched for dangerous months and years. However, the minister increased his political staff fourfold. He increased his advertising. He paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to bonus senior managers if they slashed veterans services. By any decent standard, how is that acceptable? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, while the opposition wants to increase government bureaucracy, we have increased front-line support for our veterans, including recently announcing eight new front-line mental health clinics for Canadian veterans. In the service delivery branch alone, we reorganized three regional management centres into one in Montreal, and reduced hundreds of managers, processing analysts and administrative support clerks. In the treatment benefits program, 30 positions were reduced when we streamlined calculated travel claims.

(1430) Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, one year ago, retired General Rick Hillier said, “Many of our young men and women have lost confidence in our country to support them.” He was talking about PTSD among Canada's veterans. More have been lost to suicide than on the battlefields of Afghanistan. General Hillier called for a public inquiry. Not one, but two, veterans ombudsmen have also sounded that alarm. However, a year later, the Auditor General says that the same problems persist. How can the minister sleep at night, knowing that his failure is responsible for this mess? Mr.

Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government released the Veterans Affairs mental health action plan, taking action on the Auditor General's recommendations. We have expanded front-line mental health support clinics across Canada. We have cut red tape and doubled the number of counselling sessions. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to working with our veterans to improve how we support them and their families. [ Translation ] Mr. Marc Garneau (Westmount—Ville-Marie, Lib.) : Mr.

Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs misled veterans when he said that his cuts would affect administrative services only. In fact, he increased his office staff by 400% and eliminated 1,000 front-line positions from his department. Now we learn that his department is scrambling to hire new front-line workers as soon as possible, which is a very clear admission that the minister mismanaged this file. When will the Prime Minister remove this minister? [ English ] Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, we have made substantial investments to help Canada's veterans since taking office in 2006. We will make absolutely no apologies when it comes to eliminating government bureaucracy in the back offices and putting the resources into the front line to help Canada's veterans and their families. Here is an example. In the Veterans Affairs independence program, we have eliminated nearly 100 positions after we stopped requiring veterans to submit receipts for expenses like snow clearing, lawn cutting and home cleaning.

[ Translation ] The Environment Mr. François Choquette (Drummond, NDP) : Mr. Speaker,

whereas China and the United States have struck a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the most recent Canada-U.S. air quality agreement presented by the Minister of the Environment makes no mention of regulations for the oil and gas sector. Does that mean that the Minister of the Environment does not believe that greenhouse gas emissions produced by the oil and gas sector affect air quality? I am just saying. [ English ] Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, as I said before, we are the first government in Canadian history to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we have done so without the NDP-Liberal carbon tax. Given the current conditions in the oil and gas sector, it would be reckless economic policy to unilaterally impose greenhouse gas emission regulations and penalties on the oil and gas sector. This is an integrated industry, and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector must be done on a continental basis.

Our government is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while preserving, protecting and creating Canadian jobs. [ Translation ] Ms. Mylène Freeman (Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is sad not to get an answer. Yesterday, we were shocked to hear the Prime Minister say that it would be crazy to impose greenhouse gas emission regulations on the oil and gas sector. To do nothing is the most irresponsible approach. Climate change is already costing Canadians billions of dollars. We are going to miss the boat on the green economy while the United States and China are already on board.

Is there something we should know about the Prime Minister 's refusal to establish a strategy to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector? [ English ] Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, what would be irresponsible is what the NDP and Liberals want to do, which is unilaterally put in regulations in the oil and gas sector. We said that we will not do this. This is a North American issue and we need a North American solution.

We have always said that we want to work collaboratively with the Obama administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are the first government in Canadian history to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and we have done so without their carbon tax. Canadians have a very clear choice. They know that we are the only party they can trust to lower greenhouse gas emissions, while protecting the economy.

(1435) Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, welcome to parliamentary secretary day. Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that no other country was regulating oil and gas, but a briefing note from Environment Canada explains that in fact the United States is already regulating oil and gas. It says, “For oil and gas, recent air pollution regulations are expected to result in significant GHG reduction”. Did the Minister of the Environment ever read that briefing note? Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, when we talk about greenhouse gas emissions going down, it is our party, and the numbers speak for themselves. Between 2005 and 2012, greenhouse gases in Canada went down 5.1%, while our economy grew 10.6%. This is a big difference between our party and the irresponsible policies of the NDP and the Liberals. We want to work together collaboratively with the United States to ensure we have a sector-by-sector approach that works on a continental basis. We will do that without a job-killing carbon tax. Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr.

Speaker, the Prime Minister thinks there should be a continental-wide regulatory system for oil and gas. Given that he used that as an excuse for Conservative inaction, could the Minister of the Environment tell us about any proposals that she has given to the Americans for such a regulatory system? Where are these proposals, or are they just made up as well? Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of our record. Internationally, we are a founding member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

We have made significant investments to help support green energy and infrastructure internationally. We have one of the cleanest systems in the world. We have already regulated the transportation and electricity sectors, and we are planning to reduce HFCs, one of the fastest-growing greenhouse gases in the entire world. Thanks to our actions, carbon emissions will go down close to 130 megatonnes from what they would have been under the Liberals, and we have done it all without a carbon tax.

Veterans Affairs Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have been bragging about laying off staff at Veterans Affairs, but now we find out that they have been pumping money into these shadowy ministerial offices to help their ministers. Therefore, while the Conservatives cut 25% of the staff helping veterans with health care and disability compensation, they have boosted by 21% the political staff working in these unaccountable regional offices. Quite frankly, the Minister of Veterans Affairs does not need more spin doctors; he needs a moral compass and some ethical backbone.

How can the Conservatives justify cutting support for veterans, while hiring flunkies to support such an incompetent and disgraced minister? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government has delivered. Today, there are more services, more benefits and more points of service for our veterans than ever before. Here are the facts. Those members voted against expanding funeral and burial funding. They voted against career transition services. They even voted against the children of deceased veterans education assistance program.

We will take no lessons from that party over there. [ Translation ] Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, that takes the cake. The Conservatives are firing one-quarter of Veterans Affairs Canada employees, those who really take care of veterans when it comes to health care services, pensions and benefits. The Conservatives are insulting public servants by saying that they are just pencil-pushers. Nevertheless, we have learned that the number of political staffers in ministers' offices has increased by over 20%. That just emphasizes how foolish the Conservatives are being.

There is no money to take care of people, but there is money for political staffers. Why are the Conservatives investing more in spin doctors than in people who take care of our veterans? (1440) [ English ] Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, while the opposition wants to increase government bureaucracy, we are increasing front-line support for our veterans, including recently announcing eight new front-line mental health clinics for Canadians across the country. Let me give a couple of examples.

In the service delivery branch, we reorganized three regional management centres into one in Montreal, and reduced hundreds of managers, processing analysts and administrative support clerks. In the treatment and benefit program, 30 positions were reduced when we streamlined health related travel claims. We will continue to stand up. [ Translation ] Mr. Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I do not know whether the Minister of Veterans Affairs remembers Jenifer Migneault. One of the last times he saw her, he ran away so that he would not have to answer her questions. Ms.

Migneault's husband, Claude Rainville, is still waiting for services to deal with his tinnitus, which is seriously diminishing his quality of life. Mr. Rainville clearly told me that the Conservatives are not just firing backroom bureaucrats. They are cutting essential services. Why is the minister trying to save money at the expense of veterans like Mr. Rainville? [ English ] Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we have brought in real services and real programs for veterans, and we will continue to do that.

The reality is that those members keep voting against every program and measure that we have brought forward. They voted against disability and death compensation. They voted against the earning and loss supplementary retirement benefit. They voted against the veterans independence program. On this side of the House, we are taking action. We are providing services to our veterans, and the opposition needs to get on board. Ms. Irene Mathyssen (London—Fanshawe, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, nobody believes that stuff anymore.

Conservatives are failing veterans and refusing to take responsibility, veterans like Richard Brown, injured on duty and unable to hold down full-time work due to mental injuries. He was given a single payment of just $64,000. Jordie Yeo suffered broken bones and PTSD after being ambushed by a sniper, but initially was refused compensation altogether. When will the minister finally admit that it is wrong and disgraceful to treat our veterans this way? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, veterans who are injured and in rehabilitation receive a minimum of $3,500 in financial benefits each month. Veterans who are most seriously injured can receive $8,000 or more a month in financial benefits from the Government of Canada, and their military pension. Our government has increased two disability awards to a new combined total of a half a million dollars tax free. Injured veterans now have access to up to $75,800 toward university and college retraining. Mr. Peter Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore, NDP) : Mr.

Speaker, while the government sends our brave men and women off to war, it refuses to admit that when they come back with physical or mental challenges there is a moral and social obligation to care for them. It has lawyers in B.C. right now arguing the point, spending thousands of Canadian tax dollars, that there is no moral or social contract for our veterans. Does the parliamentary secretary believe or does he not believe that there is a legal, fiduciary, moral and social obligation to care for the heroes of our country? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, the member opposite knows full well the case is currently before the courts and that we are not in a position to comment on it. What I will say is that this is effecting a policy that was brought forward by the Liberal government in 2005, which was supported by all parties in this House. I would encourage— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order, please. It is getting quite noisy. The hon. parliamentary secretary still has the floor. Many members are carrying on conversations. I would ask them to do so outside the chamber, so the parliamentary secretary can finish his response.

(1445) Mr. Parm Gill : Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will continue to stand up for Canada's veterans, even though the opposition, both the Liberal Party and the NDP, continue to vote against every single initiative we bring forward— The Speaker : Order, please. The hon. member for Random—Burin—St. George's . Ms. Judy Foote (Random—Burin—St. George's, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs misleads Canadians when he says that his harmful cuts to veterans are in the back room.

Last year, direct spending on health care services was cut by $82 million and spending on disability and death compensation was cut by nearly $70 million, but spending on back office programs rose by more than $13 million and the minister's political staff increased by over 400%. The minister has abandoned veterans. It is a national disgrace When will the minister resign? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, since taking office, our government has made substantial investments to help Canada's veterans with benefits and services.

On this side of the House, we support our veterans. The reality is that we voted for the agent orange compensation program; they voted against it. We voted for the Canada remembrance program; they voted against it. We voted for the health care program and reestablishment services; they voted against it. Their rhetoric in this place does not match their record. They should stop playing and start voting— The Speaker : Order, please. The hon. member for Guelph . Mr. Frank Valeriote (Guelph, Lib.) : Mr.

Speaker, for the additional millions the minister is spending on communications and political staff instead of on veterans' benefits, one would think that his parliamentary secretary— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order, please. Perhaps if members would remain quiet they might be able to hear the member. The hon. member for Guelph has the floor. There is so much noise that it is really taking up a lot of time. Let us give the hon. member for Guelph our undivided attention and listen to the question. Mr. Frank Valeriote : Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One would think his parliamentary secretary would have better answers for his failure on this file by now. Now that his deep cuts to service delivery have been exposed, the minister is scrambling to refill these front-line positions, including in the communities where he closed regional VAC offices. However, we still see evidence that the most serious cuts have been to staff delivering benefits and that money is going from the front line to his backroom. Why do our veterans have to beg for the services they deserve? Mr. Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I would encourage the member opposite and that party over there to start standing to vote in favour of the initiatives our government has brought forward to support Canada's veterans. Their record is completely opposite. Let me give some examples of the some of the initiatives they have voted against. They have voted against the veterans independence program; Community War Memorial Program; the partnership program; the community award memorial program; the earnings loss and supplementary benefit retirement program— [ Translation ] The Speaker : Order. The hon. member for Bourassa .

The Environment Mr. Emmanuel Dubourg (Bourassa, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, in 2009, the Prime Minister made a formal commitment to significantly reduce greenhouse gases by 2020. Yesterday, the Minister of the Environment said that we would completely miss that target unless we regulate the oil and gas industries. The Prime Minister was in favour of regulations for eight years, and now he has no plans to regulate the industry. Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians that the Conservatives never planned on meeting that target in 2020? [ English ] Mr.

Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, what that member said is ridiculous. To be clear, the Prime Minister said that Canada would not take unilateral action to regulate the oil and gas sector. We have been very clear that this is a North American issue that needs a North American solution. We have always said that we would like to work collaboratively with the Obama administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas sector. We are going to do this without a job-killing carbon tax like the New Democrats and Liberals want to put in.

(1450) Citizenship and Immigration Mr. Andrew Cash (Davenport, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday 28 countries made new commitments to resettle Syrian refugees, but to our shame, if not surprise, Canada was not one of them. The minister appears deaf to the pleas of the UN, and certainly blind to the plight of millions of Syrian refugees about to face a very harsh winter. Sweden has resettled 30,000 refugees while Canada has agreed to take in only 1,300 and has failed to meet even that small commitment. Will the minister stop playing these games with the numbers and start to do his part? Hon.

Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, someone is going to have to teach Franz Kafka over there the difference between a resettled refugee and an asylum claimant. Canada has approved the resettlement of 1,150 Syrian refugees, mostly this year but starting in 2013. Canada has received 1,900 Syrian refugees since the start of this conflict. Canada has received over 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees in recent years. Danish and French socialists have sent war planes to join us in the fight against ISIL terrorism. Barack Obama's Democrats are fighting ISIL terrorism.

Why have the New Democrats and the Liberals taken Vladimir Putin's position on this issue? [ Translation ] Mrs. Sadia Groguhé (Saint-Lambert, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 28 countries expressed their solidarity with Syrian refugees. Germany has already taken in 20,000 refugees and Sweden has taken in 30,000. Winter is approaching for these people. They need our help. The United Nations refugee agency representative in Ottawa called on Canada to answer the UN's call. Will the minister finally commit to accepting more Syrian refugees? Hon. Chris Alexander (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, the United Nations High Commissioner is asking us because we resettle one in 10 refugees worldwide every year, because we have already resettled 22,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria, and because there are already 1,900 Syrians in Canada. What is hard to understand is why the New Democrats and the Liberals do not even stand with Danish and French socialists and Barack Obama's Democrats in the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State. That is what Canada is doing. Why are they taking the same position as Vladimir Putin?

Taxation Mr. Alain Giguère (Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, on another subject, the Conservatives' job credit will cost taxpayers $550 million, but it will create just 800 jobs. The government implemented it without studying the proposal at all. The minister relied exclusively on a Canadian Federation of Independent Business study. The problem is that the study the government based its proposal on had nothing to do with employment; it was about retirement benefits. How can the minister justify throwing away half a billion dollars without having done any analysis at all? Hon.

Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance carries out thorough analyses of each measure that we propose, and it analyzed the small business job credit. Small businesses made it very clear that their payroll taxes are the biggest obstacle to employment across Canada. Canadians know that the Liberals and New Democrats would raise taxes for job creators, which would hurt our economy. [ English ] Mr. Nathan Cullen (Skeena—Bulkley Valley, NDP) : Mr.

Speaker, we know about the Conservative fondness for offshoring and outsourcing Canadian jobs, but it has gotten so ridiculous that even the Minister of Finance is happy to outsource the analysis of his own schemes to a business lobby group. He did not do his own assessment of his half-billion dollar EI scheme, but relied on one of these lobbyists. It turns out that the study he relied on was totally bogus. That is the problem with outsourcing, namely quality control. Will the minister finally admit that his $550 million EI rip-off is a complete fraud, and that maybe next time he should do his own homework?

(1455) Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, as I explained before in French, we do an analysis of every single proposal. It was not necessary to do an employment count because there were many other reasons to go ahead with this excellent initiative that will benefit 780,000 small businesses, some 90% of all businesses. Everybody knows that increased taxes are a killer for employment, and we have done the right thing for small business and the Canadian economy.

Taxation Mr. Lawrence Toet (Elmwood—Transcona, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government knows that Canadian families know best how to spend their money. This is a fundamental difference between our party and the Liberals and the NDP. That is why our government has taken real action to reduce taxes on Canadian families, including the family tax cut and the enhanced universal child care benefit. Can the Minister of Employment please update the House on our government's initiatives to put more money in the pockets of Canadian families? Hon.

Jason Kenney (Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Elmwood—Transcona for his excellent work in fighting for the families of Winnipeg and asking for family tax fairness, which we are delivering through the family tax cut.

Together with the enhancement of the universal child care benefit, we are delivering real, tangible financial benefits to 100% of the some nine million Canadian families with children under the age of 18, who will benefit by an average by $1,200 a year, two-thirds of which will go to low and modest income families. Finally we have a government that is respecting the choices families make, rather than taxing them for expensive bureaucratic programs that would only benefit 10%— The Speaker : The hon. member for Northwest Territories.

Public Safety Mr. Dennis Bevington (Northwest Territories, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, in 2010, Eddie Snowshoe of Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, committed suicide in the Edmonton Institution's segregation unit. His mother still grieves. Though he had been diagnosed with mental health issues and as suicidal, he was in solitary confinement for 162 days straight. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has stated that solitary confinement is contrary to one of the essential aims of the penitentiary system. How many more Eddie Snowshoe's will there be?

How many more deaths will it take before this minister takes some action? Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, every death in custody is taken seriously and there is always an inquiry. Let me comment on a procedure that is done in all western countries, called administrative segregation. It is done for safety reasons: the safety of the inmate, the safety of the personnel, and the safety of the facility. This procedure is applied with a lot of common sense by our correctional officers.

We expect to have more development of our mental health strategy, an action we have taken to make sure that those who have serious mental health issues are well taken care of. Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it is way simpler than that. This minister needs to stop putting the mentally ill in solitary confinement and start getting them the treatment they need. It has now been almost a year since the inquest into Ashley Smith's death. That inquest made 104 recommendations to prevent similar tragedies. We have heard nothing from the minister by way of response.

How many more tragedies will it take before the minister does respond? When will he put an end to the use of solitary confinement for the treatment of the mentally ill in Canadian prisons? [ Translation ] Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleague to read through the action plan that we implemented more than six months ago. I can send the press release to him. First and foremost, I would like to say that we have put processes in place to assess and screen inmates as soon as they arrive. Staff have received training.

Inmates are medically monitored at all stages as soon as they are identified as having mental health issues. It is something that we are taking seriously. I look forward to seeing how Correctional Service Canada will respond to the coroner's report on the tragic death of Ashley Smith. Ms. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (Alfred-Pellan, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, for a year we have been waiting for the Conservatives to take action and respond to the recommendations from the inquiry into the tragic death of Ashley Smith, but the minister prefers to continue to avoid the question. In the meantime, tragic mistakes keep happening.

People like Edward Snowshoe continue to be put in solitary confinement. How many more inmates with mental health issues will have to die before the Minister of Public Safety finally takes action?

(1500) Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, as I said, administrative segregation is a practice that is used in prisons in western countries. It is done for the safety of the inmate, the safety of the personnel, and the safety of the facility. As for the report from Correctional Service Canada in response to the coroner's recommendations, I expect it to be delivered very soon. However, that has not stopped us from implementing many measures in the meantime. We have a five-point action plan that is designed to help us treat people who, ideally, would not be in prison but in a hospital. We will ensure that they receive proper treatment.

Aboriginal Affairs Ms. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (Alfred-Pellan, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, violence against Inuit women and girls is 14 times higher than the national average. Despite that, the Conservatives are spending less than 1% of their so-called action plan on this scourge. Rebecca Kudloo, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, said that these paltry sums are simply offensive and discriminatory. You know what, Mr. Speaker? She is quite right. How can the Conservatives justify that their action plan completely ignores the pressing needs that exist in our northern communities? [ English ] Hon. K.

Kellie Leitch (Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. Any of these allegations are actually false. I want to be very clear. We have taken a number of actions, including recently, just last week, working with Inuit women throughout northern Canada with the white ribbon campaign. This is substantive action for local communities. On this side of the House, we are taking action. We are involved in local community actions. We are involved in making sure that the right legislation is in place.

I find it passing strange that the opposition brings up these issues again and again but does not support the initiatives to make sure we are supporting these women who are victims of crime.

Public Works and Government Services Ms. Joyce Murray (Vancouver Quadra, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, the government's annual cost estimate for replacing Canada's aging CF-18 fighter jets is a shocker. There is another $1 billion price hike for the F-35s that it planned to sole-source as Canada's largest military acquisition ever, with no competition, and still more delays will mean still higher costs. Will the Conservatives stop this ongoing fiasco and commit to Canadians that they will hold an open and transparent competition to replace these important jets? Hon.

Diane Finley (Minister of Public Works and Government Services, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, in fact, no decision has been made on the purchase of replacements for the CF-18s. We will always ensure that our brave men and women in uniform will have the equipment that they need and deserve to do the job that we ask of them. This is why the CF-18s are being life-extended to maintain their capability right through 2025.

Intergovernmental Affairs Mr. Scott Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, here is a familiar story. The Conservative premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says, “We have a deal.” The Conservative Prime Minister of Canada says, “Oh, no, you don't.” Here we go again.

The feds say today they will only help displaced plant workers, but back in October 2013 a spokesperson for International Trade Canada said, “The program will address fish and seafood industry development and renewal as well as workers whose jobs are displaced....” The government says it likes to be clear, so now is the time to be clear. Will the fishing industry of Newfoundland and Labrador receive its $280 million, yes or no? Hon. Rob Moore (Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, the Canada-European Union trade agreement is by far Canada's most ambitious trade initiative ever. Every region of this country stands to benefit, including Newfoundland and Labrador. The minimum processing requirements fund was created to compensate for anticipated losses from the removal of minimum processing requirements. The fund was never intended as a blank cheque that would give the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador an unfair advantage over other Atlantic provinces. We have been clear from the start that the MPR fund was to compensate for demonstrable losses.

Our officials remain open to receiving proposals from their provincial counterparts on how to move forward.

Infrastructure Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, it seems the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Liberals have more in common than they care to admit. Yesterday's Auditor General report— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order, please. I thought we were back on track after the first half of QP, and it was my hope that this week would go rather smoothly. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park had just started her question. I would invite members to wait until she is finished, and then they can feel free to respond. The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park.

(1505) Ms. Peggy Nash : Mr. Speaker, the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Liberals have more in common than they care to admit. Yesterday— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order. They say the soul of wit is brevity, not repetition. I would invite members to not make the same joke over and over again. The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park has the floor. Ms. Peggy Nash : Maybe third time lucky. Mr. Speaker, the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Liberals have more in common than they care to admit. Yesterday's Auditor General's— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker : Order.

That is taking up a great deal of time, so I will have to find that somewhere else. I will say to the member for Parkdale—High Park, who has already made the

preamble, that it might serve the House well if she— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker: Order. The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park has the floor. Let us let her put the question. Ms. Peggy Nash : Mr. Speaker, the federal Conservatives and the Ontario Liberals have more in common than they care to admit. Yesterday, the Auditor General's report revealed that the Liberal government wasted nearly $8 billion on the extra costs of public-private partnerships.

That is no small change, yet in spite of this evidence, the Conservatives are forcing municipalities to go to public-private partnerships for local infrastructure, adding time and costs to badly needed construction projects. Are the Conservatives really happy following the Liberal example of misspending billions on P3s? Mr. Peter Braid (Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, that was a very inappropriate question as we approach Christmas, I might add.

Our government believes that in certain circumstances, there are appropriate infrastructure projects for which P3s are applicable. Why do we believe that on this side of the House? It is because we are concerned about value for taxpayers. P3s offer value for taxpayers. They stretch the taxpayer dollar. It is this Conservative government that is renewing infrastructure and enhancing the quality— The Speaker : Order, please. The hon. member for Parkdale—High Park. Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the truth hurts.

It was $8 billion on P3s, and the Auditor General did not even get to the Pearson rail fares that will cost over $27 one way. The Conservatives have once again put ideology before evidence. Instead of letting municipalities make their own decisions, the Conservatives are forcing them to undergo a costly and time-consuming screening by PPP Canada. Long-overdue projects could be delayed for years. The Ontario Liberals just wasted $8 billion on flawed P3s. How much do the Conservatives plan to blow on their scheme? Mr. Peter Braid (Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, the municipalities believe it has been like Christmas since this Conservative government came to power in 2006 with respect to infrastructure. In 2007, we established the Building Canada plan. In 2013, we extended that plan and created the new Building Canada plan, the longest and largest infrastructure investment in Canadian history. It has been open for business since March, and numerous projects have already been approved, representing hundreds of millions of dollars.

It is this Conservative government that is making record investments in infrastructure, renewing infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life for Canadians.

Canadian Heritage Hon. Geoff Regan (Halifax West, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, when I asked the environment minister to support the 17th century Acadian village of Beaubassin in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, her response was pure nonsense. Obviously the member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley has never complained about work stopping at Beaubassin three years ago, so I again ask if the minister will ensure that funding is provided to properly promote this incredible Acadian site in time for Canada's 150th anniversary.

(1510) Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, this issue has been brought to our attention by the member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley before. The House should know that our government is committed to protecting Beaubassin and presenting this unique part of our shared Canadian heritage to visitors from within Canada and around the world. In fact, our government met with stakeholders last month to present plans for development of a vista, a view park area, trails,

interpretation signs, a shelter, commemorative plaques and monuments, and an accessible parking area. These participants applauded Parks Canada's engagement in taking steps to present the exceptional history of the— The Speaker : The hon. member for Victoria.

Taxation Mr. Murray Rankin (Victoria, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency is going after an 82-year-old B.C. man who has dementia. It is fining him $12,000 for failing to declare a small foreign pension income in his 2011 tax return. It is ridiculous. It was an honest mistake, but the CRA is telling him and his family it will take 15 months to address. Meanwhile, the real tax cheats are stashing billions of dollars in tax havens, and the Conservatives just keep letting them get away with it. When will the minister stop targeting seniors and charities and go after the real tax cheats? Hon. Kerry-Lynne D.

Findlay (Minister of National Revenue, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, our government has a very strong record of combatting international tax evasion and getting tough on tax cheats. From 2006 to March 31 of this year, the CRA audited over 8,600 international tax cases and identified over $5.6 billion in additional taxes that is being collected. Moreover, economic action plan 2013 introduced a number of new measures dedicated to offshore compliance activities and invested $30 million over five years to support that implementation. We are doing— The Speaker : The hon. member for Miramichi.

Fisheries and Oceans Mrs. Tilly O'Neill Gordon (Miramichi, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the lobster fishery is critical to Atlantic Canada's economy and provides important economic opportunities for our rural and coastal communities. Canadian lobster is sought after by consumers around the world, especially during this holiday season. In order to sustain this industry, it is vital that our fishermen have access to new markets. Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell the House what our government is doing to ensure that the lobster industry continues to grow? Hon.

Gail Shea (Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Miramichi for that question. I know the lobster industry is very important to her riding, and she certainly works very hard on behalf of all fishermen. We have taken action to ensure that our lobster industry is in good health and to secure vital trade agreements, such as the Canada-Korea trade agreement and the Canada-Europe trade agreement, and markets are responding quickly. Korean Air has launched a dedicated cargo jet to bring lobster from Halifax to consumers in South Korea.

The Halifax airport is reporting that in the last five years alone, Canadian live lobster exports to Asia have— The Speaker : The hon. member for New Westminster—Coquitlam.

Veterans Affairs Mr. Fin Donnelly (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the minister has misled Canadians and closed regional offices and the Auditor General has reported that he has failed veterans, yet he stands in this place and refuses to take responsibility. What about veterans like Daniel Scott from Surrey, who lost his spleen and has health problems that will plague him for the rest of his life? The government gave Scott a one-time payment of just $41,000. Does the government really want to force veterans like Daniel through the courts just to get justice? Mr.

Parm Gill (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, a veteran who is injured and in rehabilitation receives a minimum of $3,500 in financial benefits each month. Veterans who are most seriously injured can receive $8,000 or more per month in financial benefits from the Government of Canada and their military pension. Our government has increased the two disability awards to a new combined total of half a million dollars, tax free. Injured veterans now also have access to up to $75,800 toward university and college retraining.

[ Translation ] Intergovernmental Affairs Mr. Louis Plamondon (Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, BQ) : Mr. Speaker, in August 2014, the Conference Board predicted that in 20 years, the federal surplus will be $110 billion, while the provinces will face cumulative deficits of $172 billion. This trend was confirmed by last month's update. We have a fiscal deficit. Let us not kid ourselves: this obscene surplus is being built up at the expense of the unemployed, seniors, veterans, provincial transfers—basically, because the federal government refuses to do its job.

Given that the federal government is swimming in a surplus, will the Minister of Finance commit to significantly increasing transfers to Quebec and the provinces?

(1515) Hon. Joe Oliver (Minister of Finance, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, we will balance the budget and grant long-term transfers to the provinces and territories. Federal support has reached historic levels of $65 billion and will continue to grow every year. Federal support for health, education and social services has increased by nearly 56% since we formed the government. We will make the necessary changes to ensure that transfers grow in line with the economy.

[ English ] Presence in Gallery The Speaker : That concludes question period for today. I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Glen Abernethy, Minister of Health and Social Services, and Minister Responsible for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities for the Northwest Territories. Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

Private Members' Business Private Members' Business [ English ] Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations Motion The House resumed from December 3 consideration of the motion. The Speaker : Pursuant to an order made Tuesday, November 25, the House will now proceed to taking of the deferred recorded division on Motion No. 505 under private members' business. Call in the members.

(1525) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 305) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Andrews Armstrong Aspin Baird Barlow Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Carrie Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Devolin Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Eglinski Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Gill Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Leef Leitch Lemieux Leung Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Pacetti Paradis Payne Perkins Plamondon Poilievre Preston Rajotte Rathgeber Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 154 NAYS Members Allen (Welland) Angus Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Bélanger Bellavance Benskin Bevington Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Cotler Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubourg Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Easter Eyking Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Goodale Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen McCallum McGuinty Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Papillon Péclet Pilon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Regan Rousseau Sandhu Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) Stewart Stoffer Sullivan Thibeault Tremblay Turmel Valeriote Vaughan -- 113 PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried.

Canada Elections Act The House resumed from December 5 consideration of the motion that Bill C-524,

An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election advertising) , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-524. Second reading The Speaker : The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading stage of Bill C-524 under private members' business.

(1530) (The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:) (Division No. 306) YEAS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Angus Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Bélanger Bellavance Benskin Bevington Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Cotler Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubourg Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Easter Eyking Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Goodale Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen McCallum McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Rathgeber Ravignat Raynault Regan Rousseau Sandhu Scarpaleggia Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) St-Denis Stewart Stoffer Sullivan Thibeault Tremblay Turmel Valeriote Vaughan -- 120 NAYS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Aspin Baird Barlow Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Carrie Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Devolin Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Eglinski Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Gill Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Leef Leitch Lemieux Leung Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Paradis Payne Perkins Poilievre Preston Rajotte Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 150 PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Motion negatived I declare the motion defeated.

(1535) National Health and Fitness Day Act The House resumed from December 8 consideration of the motion that Bill S-211,

An Act to establish a national day to promote health and fitness for all Canadians , be read the third time and passed. Bill S-211. Third reading The Speaker : Pursuant to an order made on Tuesday, November 25, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at third reading stage of Bill S-211 under private members' business.

(1540) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 307) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allen (Welland) Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Andrews Angus Armstrong Aspin Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Baird Barlow Bateman Bélanger Bellavance Benoit Benskin Bergen Bernier Bevington Bezan Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Blaney Block Boivin Borg Boughen Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Braid Breitkreuz Brison Brosseau Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Byrne Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Caron Carrie Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Chisu Chong Choquette Christopherson Clarke Cleary Clement Comartin Côté Cotler Crockatt Cullen Cuzner Daniel Davidson Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dechert Devolin Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dreeshen Dubourg Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Dykstra Easter Eglinski Eyking Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Galipeau Gallant Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Gill Glover Godin Goguen Goldring Goodale Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder Hsu Hughes Hyer James Jones Julian Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St. Margaret'

s) Kellway Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse Lauzon LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leef Leitch Lemieux Leslie Leung Liu Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacAulay MacKenzie Maguire Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen Mayes McCallum McColeman McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) McLeod Menegakis Michaud Miller Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Norlock Nunez-Melo Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Pacetti Papillon Paradis Payne Péclet Perkins Perreault Pilon Plamondon Poilievre Preston Quach Rafferty Rajotte Rankin Rathgeber Ravignat Raynault Regan Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Rousseau Sandhu Saxton Scarpaleggia Schellenberger Scott Seeback Sellah Sgro Shea Shipley Shory Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton St-Denis Stewart Stoffer Storseth Strahl Sullivan Sweet Thibeault Tilson Toet Tremblay Trost Trottier Truppe Turmel Uppal Valcourt Valeriote Van Kesteren Van Loan Vaughan Vellacott Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 271 NAYS Nil PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. (Bill read the third time and passed)

Government Orders Government Orders [ English ] Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2 The House resumed from December 9 consideration of the motion that Bill C-43, A Second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures , be read the third time and passed, and of the amendment. Bill C-43. Third reading The Speaker : The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment to the motion at third reading of Bill C-43 . [ Translation ] May I dispense? Some hon. members: Agreed. Some hon. members: No. [ Chair read text of amendment to House ]

(1550) [ English ] (The House divided on the amendment, which was negatived on the following division:) (Division No. 308) YEAS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Angus Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Bélanger Bellavance Benskin Bevington Blanchette Blanchette-Lamothe Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Cotler Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubourg Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Easter Eyking Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Goodale Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen McCallum McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Perreault Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Regan Rousseau Sandhu Scarpaleggia Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) St-Denis Stewart Stoffer Sullivan Thibeault Tremblay Turmel Valeriote Vaughan -- 120 NAYS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Aspin Baird Barlow Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Carrie Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Devolin Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Eglinski Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Gill Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Leef Leitch Lemieux Leung Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Paradis Payne Perkins Poilievre Preston Rajotte Rathgeber Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 151 PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Amendment negatived I declare the amendment defeated. [ Translation ] The next question is on the main motion. [ English ] Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

Some hon. members: Agreed. Some hon. members: No. The Speaker: All those in favour of the motion will please say yea. Some hon. members: Yea. The Speaker: All those opposed will please say nay. Some hon. members: Nay. The Speaker: In my opinion the yeas have it. And five or more members having risen:

(1555) (The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:) (Division No. 309) YEAS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Aspin Baird Barlow Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Carrie Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Devolin Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Eglinski Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Gill Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Leef Leitch Lemieux Leung Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Paradis Payne Perkins Poilievre Preston Rajotte Rathgeber Reid Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trost Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Wallace Warawa Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 151 NAYS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Angus Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Bélanger Bellavance Benskin Bevington Blanchette Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Cotler Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubourg Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Easter Eyking Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Goodale Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen McCallum McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Perreault Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Regan Rousseau Sandhu Scarpaleggia Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) St-Denis Stewart Stoffer Sullivan Thibeault Tremblay Turmel Valeriote Vaughan -- 119 PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Motion agreed to I declare the motion carried. (Bill read the third time and passed)

PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Private Members' Business [ English ] Motor Vehicle Safety Act The House resumed from December 9 consideration of the motion that Bill C-603,

An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (vehicle side guards) , be read the second time and referred to a committee. Bill C-603. Second reading The Speaker : The House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading stage of Bill C-603 under private members' business.

(1605) (The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:) (Division No. 310) YEAS Members Allen (Welland) Andrews Angus Atamanenko Aubin Ayala Bélanger Bellavance Benskin Bevington Blanchette Boivin Borg Boulerice Boutin-Sweet Brahmi Brison Brosseau Byrne Caron Casey Cash Chan Chicoine Chisholm Choquette Christopherson Cleary Comartin Côté Cotler Cullen Cuzner Davies (Vancouver East) Day Dion Dionne Labelle Donnelly Doré Lefebvre Dubourg Duncan (Etobicoke North) Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona) Dusseault Easter Eyking Foote Fortin Freeland Freeman Fry Garneau Garrison Genest Genest-Jourdain Giguère Godin Goodale Groguhé Harris (Scarborough Southwest) Harris (St.

John's East) Hsu Hughes Hyer Jones Julian Kellway Lamoureux Lapointe Larose Latendresse LeBlanc (Beauséjour) LeBlanc (LaSalle—Émard) Leslie Liu MacAulay Mai Marston Masse Mathyssen McCallum McGuinty McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood) Michaud Moore (Abitibi—Témiscamingue) Morin (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine) Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot) Murray Nash Nicholls Nunez-Melo Pacetti Papillon Péclet Perreault Pilon Plamondon Quach Rafferty Rankin Ravignat Raynault Regan Rousseau Sandhu Scarpaleggia Scott Sellah Sgro Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor) Sims (Newton—North Delta) St-Denis Stewart Stoffer Sullivan Thibeault Tremblay Trost Turmel Valeriote Vaughan Warawa -- 121 NAYS Members Ablonczy Adams Adler Albas Albrecht Alexander Allison Ambler Ambrose Anders Anderson Armstrong Aspin Baird Barlow Bateman Benoit Bergen Bernier Bezan Blaney Block Boughen Braid Breitkreuz Brown (Leeds—Grenville) Brown (Barrie) Bruinooge Butt Calandra Calkins Cannan Carmichael Carrie Chisu Chong Clarke Clement Crockatt Daniel Davidson Dechert Devolin Dreeshen Duncan (Vancouver Island North) Dykstra Eglinski Falk Fast Findlay (Delta—Richmond East) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Fletcher Galipeau Gallant Gill Glover Goguen Goldring Goodyear Gosal Gourde Grewal Harris (Cariboo—Prince George) Hawn Hayes Hiebert Hillyer Hoback Holder James Kamp (Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission) Keddy (South Shore—St.

Margaret'

s) Kenney (Calgary Southeast) Kent Kerr Komarnicki Kramp (Prince Edward—Hastings) Lake Lauzon Leef Leitch Lemieux Leung Lizon Lobb Lukiwski Lunney MacKenzie Maguire Mayes McColeman McLeod Menegakis Miller Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam) Moore (Fundy Royal) Norlock Obhrai O'Connor Oliver O'Neill Gordon Opitz O'Toole Paradis Payne Perkins Poilievre Preston Rajotte Rathgeber Rempel Richards Rickford Ritz Saxton Schellenberger Seeback Shea Shipley Shory Smith Sopuck Sorenson Stanton Storseth Strahl Sweet Tilson Toet Trottier Truppe Uppal Valcourt Van Kesteren Van Loan Vellacott Wallace Warkentin Watson Weston (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) Weston (Saint John) Wilks Williamson Yelich Young (Oakville) Young (Vancouver South) Yurdiga Zimmer -- 148 PAIRED Nil The Speaker : Motion negatived I declare the motion defeated.

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Routine Proceedings [ English ] National Defence Mr. Bernard Trottier (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, I have the honour to table on behalf of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the ministers of National Defence and Industry, in both official languages, as part of the government's seven-point plan, the following three reports: “Next Generation Fighter Capability Annual Update 2014”, “Independent Review: 2014 Department of National Defence Annual Update on Next Generation Fighter Capability Life Cycle Costs”, and “Canadian Industrial Participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program”.

Foreign Affairs Hon. Deepak Obhrai (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the document “Report on Exports of Military Goods from Canada 2012-2013”.

International Trade Hon. Ed Fast (Minister of International Trade, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, three treaties. The first treaty is entitled “Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Senegal for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Dakar on November 27, 2014. The second treaty is entitled “Agreement between Canada and Mali for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Dakar on November 28, 2014.

The third treaty is entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Dakar on November 30, 2014. An explanatory memorandum is included with each of these treaties.

Government Response to Petitions Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's responses to eight petitions.

Citizen Voting Act Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Minister of State (Democratic Reform), CPC) Bill C-50. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-50,

An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act . (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Interparliamentary Delegations Mr. Dean Allison (Niagara West—Glanbrook, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly respecting its participation at the 23rd annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 28 through July 2, 2014. Mr. James Rajotte (Edmonton—Leduc, CPC) : Mr.

Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the bilateral visit to London and Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, from January 18 to 25, 2014.

Committees of the House Justice and Human Rights Mr. Mike Wallace (Burlington, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 12th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill S-2,

an act to amend the Statutory Instruments Act and to make consequential amendments to the Statutory Instruments Regulations . The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back without amendment. This is the fourth bill this committee has reported back in the last three weeks. I thank it for its hard work.

(1610) [ Translation ] Finance Mr. James Rajotte (Edmonton—Leduc, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Finance. [ English ] Mr. Speaker, if you will allow me, I would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who made submissions to the committee. I want to thank the witnesses who appeared before our committee. I offer my respect and appreciation to all members of the committee, from all parties, for all the work they did this fall.

I want to thank the committee staff who helped produce this report, in particular our analysts, Mark Mahabir, Michaël Lambert-Racine, and June Dewetering. [ Translation ] Finally, I would like to thank our clerk, Christine Lafrance, for her excellent work. [ English ] Mr. Murray Rankin (Victoria, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I agree with the chair, the member for Edmonton—Leduc , that this report contains much useful information. We heard from dozens of witnesses who were able to appear before the committee. It contains, as well, a supplementary report by the official opposition, the NDP.

Unfortunately, many of the committee's Conservative majority recommendations are so self-congratulatory in tone that they must embarrass the chair as much as they do us. Few of the recommendations include the progressive measures Canadians are looking for to build a fairer, greener, and more prosperous Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Mr. Bev Shipley (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to its study of the order of the House referring back to the first report of the committee. Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

[ Translation ] Broadcasting Act Mr. Louis Plamondon (Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, BQ) Bill C-645. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-645,

An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (independence of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) . He said: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to introduce the bill to amend the Broadcasting Act regarding the independence of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC ombudsman recently informed us that the Prime Minister's Office and Canadian Heritage pressured the crown corporation, thereby threatening its independence.

Since we do not want to have state television, but rather a neutral, independent public broadcaster, I am introducing this bill today in order to oblige CBC to take the necessary measures to preserve its freedom of expression and its independence. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[ English ] Journey to Freedom Day Act Mr. Mark Adler (York Centre, CPC) Bill S-219. First reading. moved that Bill S-219,

An Act respecting a national day of commemoration of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees and their acceptance in Canada after the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War , be read the first time. He said: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce Bill S-219 , entitled the journey to freedom day act. This bill will establish a day to pay tribute to the thousands of Vietnamese refugees who risked their lives escaping Communist persecution after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Bill S-219 would also establish a day to honour Canada's humanitarian tradition of accepting refugees during and after the Vietnam War. After the end of the Vietnam War, thousands were forced to flee and leave everything behind in the pursuit of freedom. I am proud to say that Canada was among the first countries to welcome Vietnamese refugees with open arms.

As a representative of a large and vibrant Vietnamese community in my riding of York Centre, it is a great privilege for me to introduce this legislation in the House, which honours not only the brave souls who risked their lives to live in freedom but also the generous spirit of the Canadians who welcomed them without hesitation. (Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)

(1615) [ Translation ] Petitions Agriculture Mrs. Carol Hughes (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition on behalf of the people of Hearst, Ontario, on respecting the rights of small family farms to store, trade and use seed. The petitioners are calling on the government to adopt international aid policies that would support small farmers, especially women, and recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty.

They are also calling on the government to ensure that Canadian policies and programs are developed in consultation with small farmers and that these policies protect the rights of small farmers in southern countries to save, use and freely trade their seed.

[ English ] Impaired Driving Mr. Mark Warawa (Langley, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present this petition representing thousands of Canadians. The petition highlights, sadly, that 22-year-old Kassandra Kaulius was killed by a drunk driver. A group of people who have also lost loved ones to impaired drivers, called Families For Justice, believe that the current impaired driving laws are much too lenient. They are calling for mandatory minimum sentencing for people who have been convicted of impaired driving. They would also like the sentence to be considered vehicular manslaughter.

It being Christmastime, I encourage everyone to drive responsibly, and if they have been drinking not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, but to take a taxi or phone Operation Red Nose instead.

Health Ms. Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, I have a petition regarding sickle cell disease and thalassemic disorders. In sickle cell disease, red blood cells harden into long slivers that block veins and arteries, causing injuries to the blood vessels of organs, including the brain and lungs. About 10% of children develop strokes. Children with sickle cell disease are also extremely vulnerable to infection and have periodic health crises that cause terrible pain and difficulty breathing. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to adopt Bill C-221 .

Mental Health Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today to present a petition on behalf of constituents in my riding of Newton—North Delta, and surrounding areas. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to create a ministry for people with disabilities and mental health issues. They feel there are very limited after-hour and weekend programs offered to those with disabilities or mental health problems. Like the petitioners, I want to see real leadership on mental health.

We need to work with communities to fight the stigma and to foster recovery, to ensure better access to treatment, and to reduce the disparities in sports and services across the country. New Democrats recognize the importance of ensuring that Canadians who are living with mental illness have access to the supports they need.

VIA Rail Mr. David McGuinty (Ottawa South, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to table a petition regarding VIA Rail service in Canada. I am pleased to table this petition on behalf of concerned Canadians. I look forward to the government's response.

Agriculture Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first one is from residents of Oliver, Osoyoos, and Okanagan Falls. The petitioners are calling on the government to adopt international aid policies that support small-scale farmers, especially women, and recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty, and to ensure that Canadian policies and programs are developed in consultation with small family farmers. They call on the government to protect the rights of small family farmers in the global south to preserve, use, and freely exchange seeds.

The Environment Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, my second petition is a follow-up to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which concluded that the warming of the earth's climate system was unequivocal. The petitioners call upon the government to adopt a carbon policy that applies a fee to greenhouse gas emissions at their source of production in Canada, or port of entry into Canada; increase the fee over time; and distribute 100% of the money raised from the fee equally among all Canadians; and urge all nations around the world to adopt a similar carbon policy. This is from residents of Castlegar, Nelson, and surrounding areas.

(1620) Citizenship and Immigration Mr. Rodger Cuzner (Cape Breton—Canso, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I stand to present a petition signed by almost 800 people from my riding—including Broad Cove, Blues Mills, Glencoe, Glencoe Station, and Lake Ainslie—in support of permanent residency for Kurt Andresen and Leaf Kraft, two Americans who have been living in Whycocomagh since 2002. Marilyn MacDonald has taken it upon herself to rally the community behind them. They are fabulous people, highly motivated and educated, who love to be part of this community, which loves them for being part of it.

The petitioners are hoping that permanent residency is a dream that is fulfilled. I present the petition in that spirit.

The Environment Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions today from my constituents in Parkdale—High Park. The first calls on the government to restore full environmental protection to the Humber River and to support Bill C-502 . The second petition calls on the House to support the NDP climate change accountability act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to hold the government accountable.

Rail Transportation Ms. Peggy Nash (Parkdale—High Park, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the third petition is to support the electrification of the air-rail link in Toronto, rather than having dirty diesel trains; to support more frequent stops of the train; and to support affordable, accessible fares for the train. [ Translation ] Mrs. Anne-Marie Day (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, today, I am presenting two petitions. The first calls on the government to work with Canadian National to put an end to the legal proceedings, protect the public when it comes to rail transportation and assess the condition of the Quebec City bridge.

Mental Health Mrs. Anne-Marie Day (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the second petition has to do with veterans and is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Minister of National Defence . We are asking them to take immediate measures to expand mental health services for members of the Canadian Forces and the RCMP.

[ English ] Democratic Reform Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition containing dozens of signatures from the Greater Victoria area, the majority of them from my riding, forwarded to me by the very engaged citizens of Fair Vote Canada. The petition notes the unfairness of our winner-take-all system, which results in a House of Commons that is not representative of the votes actually cast by voters, and calls for an equal and effective vote system for fair representation in Parliament. It also calls on us to introduce a form of proportional representation at the earliest opportunity.

[ Translation ] Pensions Mr. Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, today, I have the privilege of presenting a petition signed by dozens of my constituents who are very concerned about their defined benefit pension plans. The petitioners are calling on the government to resist the temptation to authorize the conversion of defined benefit pension plans into so-called shared risk plans, which would reduce the benefits paid out to retirees. The petition also indicates that most Canadians do not have a pension plan. The petitioners are therefore also calling on the government to expand the Canada pension plan.

[ English ] Nuclear Waste Mr. Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay—Superior North, GP) : Mr. Speaker, I have received over a thousand petitions regarding the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and how it is dealing with the possible storage and transport of nuclear waste in northwestern Ontario. Of the 15 communities being considered, most of them are in northwestern Ontario. Some 60 million people depend on the water that Lake Superior sends down through the Great Lakes system. They are asking for great caution and are expressing great concern about the storage and transport of nuclear waste. They want wider consultations throughout northwestern Ontario by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

Questions on the Order Paper Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

Motions for Papers Mr. Tom Lukiwski (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand. The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

Government Orders Government Orders Victims Bill of Rights Act Bill C-32. Report stage The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill C-32,

An Act to enact the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and to amend certain Acts , as reported (with amendments) from the committee. (1625) [ English ] Speaker's Ruling The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : There are four motions in amendment standing on the notice paper for the report stage of Bill C-32 . Motions Nos. 1 to 4 will be grouped for debate and voted upon according to the voting pattern available at the table.

Motions in Amendment Mr. Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay—Superior North, GP) Motion Nos. 1, 3 and 4 (seconded by the member for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour) moved: Motion No. 1 That Bill C-32 be amended by deleting Clause 17. Motion No. 3 That Bill C-32 be amended by deleting Clause 23. Motion No. 4 That Bill C-32 be amended by deleting Clause 30. He said: Mr. Speaker, I rise to present deletions to Bill C-32 , the Canadian victims bill of rights. I and the Green Party support, in general, this important piece of legislation, but with some hesitations about its weaker parts.

Given the damage that the current government has done to the criminal justice system, I am surprised to be saying that. I believe that the victims bill of rights could be a positive step toward alleviating some of the frustrations and emotional pain that victims face participating in the justice process today. However, the bill is still an imperfect document. I hope that we will improve it in years to come. We were disappointed that, in committee, our worthy amendments were dismissed. Recent research points to a worrying trend. Canadians, especially victims of crime, have lost confidence in our justice system.

A recent report by our own Department of Justice on survivors of sexual violence found that: While 53% of participants stated that they were not confident in the police, two-thirds stated that they were not confident in the court process and in the criminal justice system in general. It is no surprise that victims often do not report crimes. As so many victims groups have shared with us, going through the justice process can be confusing, emotionally draining, frightening and demoralizing.

The bill seeks to address some of the concerns of victims, those being greater rights to information, restitution, and protection. However, in the bill, these are more accurately called promises than rights. I do not believe the bill would deliver what the Prime Minister said it would, that now “Victims will have enforceable rights in Canada’s criminal justice system”. As many witnesses pointed out to the justice committee, the bill would not really set out rights because there are no substantial redress for violations.

Victims are entitled to file a complaint if they feel their rights have been violated and a complaint is better than nothing, but it is not redress. If this promise is followed by good faith and funding, we will have succeeded in improving the experience of victims in the justice system; if not, we will have made matters worse by promising but not delivering. Though I support the bill on balance, I have concerns about some of the provisions. As Ms.

Sullivan wrote, it is not necessary that we all agree on every aspect of the bill, and: ...what is important is the marking of a cultural shift to more fully consider and integrate victims’ in Canada’s criminal justice system and, jointly, the opportunity for important discourse about victims’ needs and how to better address them. Since many of the concerns of victims were not addressed in the bill, I hope that Bill C-32 is only the start of the conversation on this important issue. Three sections, in particular, worry me.

I am most concerned about, first, restitution; second, redefining the purpose of sentencing; and third, non-disclosure of witness identities. I have some concerns with clause 30 that would require that the court consider making a restitution order against the offender, regardless of the offender's ability to pay. This could cause issues both for the victims and the offenders. Restitution, as we have heard from many victims groups, can be an extremely important part of the healing process. It can also be an important step for offenders taking responsibility for their actions.

However, I am concerned, and witnesses were concerned, by the way these provisions are worded. As Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society, has warned, these orders for restitution could have a disproportionate effect on those offenders who, far too often, are: ...poor, marginalized, battling mental health and addictions and without the lawful means to provide financial compensation to others. These orders could also open up the issue of fairness in the justice system.

At the same time, legal experts argue that the wording of 739.2, that requires the judge to specify a day by which the full amount is to be paid, would undermine the good that this system does for victims.

(1630) According to the Canadian Bar Association, “Including a deadline for payment could create adverse consequences for victims”. The victim would not be able to go to court to enforce their order until the final date has lapsed, which could be many years away. According to the Bar Association, “[It] may have the adverse effect of providing victims with false hope of financial recovery”.

The worst thing that could happen is that victims be given the expectation of funds that they will never receive, and at the same time, burdening impoverished offenders with long-term debts that will prevent their rehabilitation. I am concerned that these provisions will receive the same fate as the victim surcharges that judges have simply been refusing to order and this will leave victims unsupported. Bill C-32 also seeks to redefine the purposes of sentencing in the Criminal Code.

To echo the concerns of the Bar Association: The cumulative impact of these proposed amendments, with the increased use of mandatory minimum penalties and the elimination of conditional sentence orders for many non-violent offenders, risks adding to Canada’s over-reliance on incarceration. I do not see how these changes will have positive benefits for victims and may have the negative effect of prioritizing harm done over the other purposes of sentencing. Sentencing is a delicate balance, and there is no evidence to suggest that the balance in the code is presently broken.

Perhaps the most egregious element in this bill is clause 17. That would allow a judge to “make an order directing that any information that could identify the witness not be disclosed in the course of proceedings”. As every legal expert who testified before the committee noted, this is an unprecedented and almost certainly unconstitutional breach of the right to a fair trial.

As Howard Krongold of the Criminal Lawyers' Association testified at committee: But it's hard to imagine a more fundamental change to Canadian law, one less consistent with Canadians' visions of open, fair justice, where everybody has a chance to a fair trial, where they can make full answer and defence and confront the witnesses against them. Eric Gottardi of CBA added: Clause 17 contemplates at least the possibility that the accused and counsel for the accused and the crown might have to cross-examine or direct examine a witness when they have no idea who the witness is.

I haven't found a single case that talks about that, and I can't imagine a scenario, short of life and death and someone essentially amounting to a confidential informer, where that kind of process would pass constitutional muster. Under extreme circumstances, judges already can use their discretion to limit the disclosure of witness identity through the use of pseudonyms, publication bans, and other measures. These are exceptions to the open court principle and they are used sparingly by judges.

I would like to repeat the concerns of so many legal experts that what this clause anticipates is a clear violation of the open court principle. This is very worrying. Every party in this House supports Bill C-32 in principle. It seems, though, that the Conservatives just could not help themselves. They had to insert something blatantly unconstitutional into a bill that everyone supports in principle. All in all, the bill is a reasonable step toward addressing the difficult position that victims hold in the justice system. It needs to be strengthened and improved, and it will take work.

As I said earlier, the bill constitutes more of a promise than it does a bill of rights. Let's make sure we keep that promise. (1635) [ Translation ] Ms. Françoise Boivin (Gatineau, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech on the amendments. The member indicated that Bill C-32 is a step in the right direction but that it does not do enough for victims. However, rather than talking about victims, he spent 10 minutes talking about other issues such as sentencing, the consequences of disclosing the name of a witness and restitution. I am trying to understand.

Are we trying to strengthen the victims bill of rights or amend certain principles of criminal law? If I understood correctly, the member seemed to say at the beginning of his speech that the bill of rights is rather limited. However, if I understood the amendment correctly, the member wants to scale back the victims bill of rights. [ English ] Mr. Bruce Hyer : Mr. Speaker, the bill has good intent and it has some good parts, but we are asking for deletions because there are some parts of the bill that are flawed, particularly in terms of sentencing. I would like to read the portion of the Criminal Code,

section 718, which is redundant in the bill and muddies the waters a bit by reiterating some of the objectives. It reads: The fundamental purpose of sentencing is to contribute, along with crime prevention initiatives, to respect for the law and the maintenance of a just, peaceful and safe society by imposing just sanctions that have one or more of the following objectives: (

a) to denounce unlawful conduct; (

b) to deter the offender and other persons from committing offences; (

c) to separate offenders from society, where necessary; (

d) to assist in rehabilitating offenders; (

e) to provide reparations for harm done to victims or to the community; and (

f) to promote a sense of responsibility in offenders, and acknowledgement of the harm done to victims and to the community. Mr. Sean Casey (Charlottetown, Lib.) : Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for Thunder Bay—Superior North for his speech. It was a very insightful analysis into some of the major flaws of the bill. All of the flaws that the member pointed out were identified and flagged, as he said, by the Canadian Bar Association, whose representative testified at committee. They were also the subject of amendments that were proposed at committee and rejected.

In fact, the Canadian Bar Association submitted an extensive brief with several recommendations. Every single one of those recommendations was proposed in amendment form and every single one was rejected by the Conservative majority on the committee. However, my question has to do with resources. It is all well and good to have a lengthy

preamble and statements about how we are going to improve the lot of victims and all of these declarations, but unless there are adequate resources to fund programs, and unless there are adequate resources to give the victims the right to information and to complain, contained in the bill, then it is really not worth the paper it is printed on. I would like to get the hon. member's views on what more should be done, other than what is in the bill, to give the victims the standing in the justice system that they so dearly want. Mr. Bruce Hyer : Mr.

Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, the Prime Minister effectively made a political statement promising that the bill would really help in terms of victims' rights. However, as I have commented repeatedly in my speech, it does not really do that as strongly as it might. The hon. member for Charlottetown talked about the purpose and intent of the bill and if we would have the resources there for that. The bill is visionary. It does point us in a strengthened direction with good ways in how to strengthen victims' rights.

However, we come to Hyer's law, and Hyer's law of vision is that vision without funding is hallucination. [ Translation ] The Acting Speaker (Mr. Barry Devolin) : It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Thunder Bay—Superior North , Seniors; and the hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst , Official Languages. Resuming debate. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice .

(1640) Mr. Robert Goguen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise once again to speak to a subject that we have been studying in committee for quite some time. This government's bills are all about protecting victims. Bill C-32 is the result of consultations with 185 groups from across the country as well as 300 online submissions. One thing that the government heard frequently is that victims face many injustices when they interact with the justice system.

I would like to give an example of what Bill C-32 is going to do to help victims and witnesses deal with the difficulties they experience in the courtroom. Ms. Timea Nagy, founder of Walk With Me Canada Victim Services, shared with us something that happens quite often in trials involving organized crime. [ English ] Let me tell members a bit about what this organization is doing in the community.

Established by a survivor of human trafficking, Walk With Me was created with a commitment to ensure that survivors have a place in providing first response care to victims of human trafficking and to recognizing that survivors should have a voice in developing a coordinated community response that can meet immediate crises and longer-term needs of trafficked victims.

Since its inception in 2009, Walk With Me has been working closely with various police services across Canada and has been able to provide unique services and support to many victims of human trafficking in Ontario and all across Canada. [ Translation ] You can already imagine the immense courage that Ms. Nagy and the people she helps must have. During the committee study, Ms. Nagy shared a