Mr. Costas Menegakis (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud of our record on refugees. We welcomed one out every ten resettled refugees globally, more than any other industrialized country in the world.

Last year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees met with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and he recognized Canada's international leadership when it came to providing assistance to refugees.

Our comprehensive reforms to Canada's asylum system ensure that genuine refugees receive faster and fairer protections.

Mr. Andrew Cash (Davenport, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, the government may be proud of its record on refugees, but the rest of the country is ashamed of the government's record on refugees.

Almost 60 million people around the world were forced from their homes, the highest number since the UN started counting. Syria alone counted for 11.6 million of the displaced. As refugees hit an historic high, Canada's response to the global calamity has hit an historic low.

Helping the world's most vulnerable is part of who we are as Canadians. It is a value that the Conservative Party has forgotten. Why is Canada not living up to its global commitments?

Mr. Costas Menegakis (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we welcome one out of every ten resettled refugees globally.

What is shameful is that the member, the NDP and members of the opposition continually vote against important legislation that we bring to the House that would expedite the entry of people who genuinely need assistance.

Those members voted against Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act and the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. They do not have a clue on the other side of the House.

Mr. Ted Hsu (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, climate change is a threat to civilization. It is a tragedy of the commons which can only be resolved through global co-operation. That is why growing inequality and the fate of the world's poor are intimately tied to fighting climate change. This is also the silver lining of climate change. If we solve it, we will have set an enduring precedent for co-operation among the entire human species.

Instead of obstructing the international community on climate change, why does the Conservative government not co-operate, and why does it not address growing inequality at home and around the world?

Mr. Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the premise of that question. We are very proud to be playing a leadership role on the international stage.

We have helped more than 65 developing countries to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. We are also doing our part by contributing to the green climate fund. We are a founding member and major financial contributor to the climate and clean air coalition, and we have also addressed short-lived climate pollutants under the chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

We will continue to protect our environment while keeping the economy strong, and we will do it without a job-killing carbon tax, like the Liberals want to do.

Hon. Mark Eyking (Sydney—Victoria, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, it is now the end of June and here is another year lost in infrastructure for Cape Breton. Whether it is road works on the north side of New Waterford, police and firemen structures, waste water treatment and development of Sydney Harbour, or fresh drinking water for northern Cape Breton, everything is on hold again.

Are the Conservatives so arrogant that they actually think they can fool Canadians into voting for them by making a series of desperate, phony, last-minute announcements on infrastructure just before the election?

Mr. Peter Braid (Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, we will certainly take no lessons from the Liberals with respect to infrastructure. Our Conservative government's investments in infrastructure are three times greater than the previous Liberal government's.

Those historic investments continued yesterday with the announcement by the Prime Minister to fund the smarttrack project in Toronto. This will improve commuting times, enhance quality of life and create jobs.

It is this Conservative government that is getting it done.

Mr. Dan Harris (Scarborough Southwest, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, my bill to make Remembrance Day a legal holiday is finally back from committee after 205 days in study by 2 parliamentary committees. The bill would add exactly one word to the Holidays Act.

Last November, the Minister of Veterans Affairs said of my bill:

The specifics of the bill before this House are to correct a drafting oversight from the 1970s...

This bill passed second reading with overwhelming support. Will the government help to end this 41st Parliament on a high note and vote “yes” to elevating Remembrance Day to the same status as other important Canadian holidays?

Mr. Rick Dykstra (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad the member was not more clear on what he meant to do exactly with his bill.

Our government believes that it is not only important to recognize our veterans, but that it is our duty to remember the Canadians who sacrificed so much for our freedom and values. That is why our government supported this proposal in Parliament, and the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs heard from groups such as the Royal Canadian Legion and Canadian Veterans Advocacy.

Hearing from these groups was important to the consideration of such a wide-reaching veterans proposal.

Ms. Jinny Jogindera Sims (Newton—North Delta, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, on June 11, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness said in the House that 20 RCMP officers were in Surrey and “that boots are already on the ground”. The Conservatives even had the gall to repeat that in the House yesterday and today. Unfortunately, it is not true.

The city of Surrey has confirmed that not one of the 100 promised RCMP officers is on the ground in Surrey. Why are the Conservatives misleading the public and saying that new officers have arrived when they have not?

Ms. Roxanne James (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, the first 20 RCMP officers of the additional deployment to Surrey have already arrived at the detachment. We were pleased to approve the 100 RCMP officers to that area.

However, what is also clear is that when it comes to combatting crime and terrorism, there is only one political party in the House that stands firm to protect the safety and security of Canadians. The NDP is so far out in left field that it is not even playing in the same ball park.

Mr. Jim Eglinski (Yellowhead, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government is helping families across the country by keeping more money in their pockets. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development please update the House on our measures to help 100% of families with children in Canada?

Mr. Scott Armstrong (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister of Labour, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, our plan will help 100% of Canadians with children by expanding the universal child care benefit and implementing the family tax cut. Conversely, the Liberal Party's plan is to take away the universal child care benefit and the family tax cut.

The Liberal leader wrote his plan on the back of a napkin. He does not know the devastating consequences that it would have for Canadian families with children. The Liberal leader just is not ready to become prime minister of Canada.

Mr. Scott Simms (Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, Lib.)

Mr. Speaker, now that the summer is here, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians feel they are not being treated fairly regarding the recreational cod fishery or the food fishery.

For example, the season in our province is much smaller than the season in the other provinces, and this makes it very difficult for our citizens and also dangerous for them as well. Also, for tour boat operators such as Graham Wood and David Boyd, their customers cannot keep their catch, whereas customers in other provinces can take their catch home.

The question is very simple: When will the minister stop dictating and when will this discrimination end?

Mr. Gerald Keddy (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, to the Minister of National Revenue and for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his question. Of course, I will not thank him for the last part of it, which I frankly disagree with.

It is worth noting that it was our government that reopened the food fishery in Newfoundland in 2007. We did that based on the precautionary principle.

Certainly the minister is looking at all options to make sure that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have the opportunity to get their cod fish for the winter.

Mr. Wladyslaw Lizon (Mississauga East—Cooksville, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, much of the reason constituents in Mississauga East—Cooksville helped elect our Conservative government was that they were tired of Liberal politicians raising their taxes. Both the Liberals and the NDP are dead set on hiking mandatory payroll taxes.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance give the House an update on how our government is keeping taxes low for Canadians?

Mr. Andrew Saxton (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville for that excellent question.

To benefit that member's constituents and all Canadians, our Conservative government brought in historic relief that is saving $6,600 this year for a typical two-earner family of four. Under our government, Canadians are paying the lowest taxes in over 50 years.

However, the Liberal leader pledged to impose a mandatory $1,000 tax hike on middle-class workers. Now is simply not the time for risky NDP and Liberal high-tax schemes, reckless spending and untested leadership.

Mrs. Sana Hassainia (Verchères—Les Patriotes, Ind.)

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I asked a question that I never got an answer to, so I would like to ask it again today.

Does this government know that people who were adopted and are not aware that they are not Canadian citizens in the eyes of the law can add themselves to the voters list since no proof of citizenship is required? This loophole in the legislation can lead to fraud and allow people who do not have the right to vote to vote anyway.

The last time I asked this question, the government avoided answering it by telling me all about the process for becoming a Canadian citizen. That was not what my question was about.

Does the government know how many people vote who do not have the right to do so, and does it plan to tighten up the process to ensure that it takes more than just answering a yes or no question to exercise one's right to vote?

Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Democratic Reform, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question.

The Chief Electoral Officer told me that many people who are not citizens are on the voters list. In the citizen voting act, we are proposing that Citizenship and Immigration Canada share information with the Chief Electoral Officer so that he can remove anyone who is not a Canadian citizen from the voters list.

Hon. Deepak Obhrai (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, CPC)

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2013-14 progress report on Canada's action plan for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security.