Rob Merrifield

[Infrastructure, October 23rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition member has been around here long enough to know that it would be inappropriate during a byelection to interfere with any kind of announcement, so that will not happen. We are not interested in that.

However, I want to take the opportunity to explain what we are doing for the Maritimes and some of the good folks out there. Just last week, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Minister of National Defence were in Halifax announcing $18.3 million for the Halifax Central Library. This is just one of the projects that we are working on coast to coast.

We are getting the job done. We are creating jobs and creating good infrastructure for Canadians all across this country.

[The Economy, October 23rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, yes, it would be a privilege for me to do that.

We are focused, as a government, on the economy, stimulating the economy and creating jobs right across the country from coast to coast to coast, and we are doing that with our municipal and provincial partners.

The Liberal deputy premier from Ontario agrees with this. This is what he had to say:

think overall when we see how all the infrastructure dollars that are stimulus related have been allocated, I am pretty confident that there is going to be a very, very equitable regional distribution.

We could not agree with him more.

[Federal Appointments, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the witch hunt that is being attempted by my hon. colleague and her party, and one over here, is absolutely unfounded. I do not know why she believes that she is more valid to be able to speak to this than the Ethics Commissioner. We strengthened those powers and the member in question has been completely cleared.

[Federal Appointments, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question but the reality is that I have answered this already in the House. We are the government that brought in a third party and strengthened third party powers to arm's length agencies to be able to deal with these kinds of matters.

As I have said before, the Natural Resources minister has had correspondence from the Ethics Commissioner who has cleared her of all allegations. They are totally unfounded.

[Federal Appointments, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it was our government that actually brought in the changes. We brought in the arm's length powers under the Accountability Act to be able to have agencies investigate such matters.

It just so happens that the Minister of Natural Resources has told me that she has received correspondence from the Ethics Commissioner and that correspondence has cleared her of all allegations.

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is suggesting that the privatization is sort of the thin edge of the wedge.

If that is indeed what he thinks, then why are the Liberals, the Bloc and the NDP not pushing us hard to bring in a charter?

That was an initiative brought in by this government. The charter locks in stone that that will never happen. The idea of Canada Post going into privatization is absolutely absurd. It has a universal, effective, efficient system. It actually has the number one brand name in Canada, ahead of Tim Hortons, ahead of Canadian Tire, as deemed last year. It is a great corporation, and it is going to stay that way.

This bill does not do any of what is being suggested by the opposition. It takes absolutely nothing away from Canada Post. All it does is allow for competition on outbound, international mail. That is all it does. It does not compromise one little bit any mail that is delivered in Canada.

We have to understand that this is a very small tweaking of a piece of legislation, the Canada Post Corporation Act. It is not going to lead to anything other than a more efficient, effective operation in Canada, as well as to making sure that we retain jobs for the international remailers. It will mean more jobs in Canada, more money in Canada, and a greater ability to compete as a nation.

Why is the Bloc not pushing us to put in a charter that locks in stone the very things the member is suggesting we would try to attempt to privatize or to move Canada Post into being?

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify some of the things my hon. colleague from Mississauga, who comes from an urban setting, has suggested about rural delivery.

My riding is 100% rural. As the minister in charge of Canada Post, I am very proud to ensure that the people of Canada and the House understand that a moratorium on rural post offices is maintained. She needs to understand that.

She is new to the portfolio and perhaps does not understand what we did recently with the Canadian Postal Service Charter. It is the first time in the history of the country that we have locked in an agreement between Canada Post and the people of Canada, ensuring that the service delivered by Canada Post is set out in a charter, which will be analyzed and reported on a yearly basis and reviewed every five years. It is interesting that she would not mention that it locks in service for rural delivery across the country, in a specific and very clear way.

It is amazing she would suggest that the legislation, which does not look after mail in Canada but mail outboard to international countries, would compromise any rural jobs. I see none of that taking place. Absolutely it is a massive leap.

Perhaps she is new to the portfolio. Perhaps she does not understand. Perhaps she has no idea. However, I want to ask her one question because she was not clear on her position on the bill.

Is she supporting the bill?

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has it all wrong. I do not believe for a minute that we are ever going to divorce ourselves from being competitive and working with our friends to the south. As I said, I have worked very closely with them over the last number of years and that will continue. All I have done is stated some facts on international trade, and that is not bad.

We are always going to be trading with our friends to the south, and we will capitalize on that even more through this piece of legislation, because we will not destroy the competitive advantage that our businesses working here in Canada will have in being able to get their mail to those international markets, particularly into the United States, in an effective and efficient way. Actually, just the contrary to what the member was suggesting, I believe this piece of legislation will help us be competitive and will actually enhance trade with the United States.

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, any time that people become more competitive at whatever they do in this country, they are putting themselves on a more solid footing, in a better spot. This will allow CUPW and Canada Post to gauge themselves against competitors that are doing this business as well. It is not taking it away from Canada Post. It is saying if it is going to be in the business then go ahead and be in it, but it will have to compete. That will make CUPW stronger. It will make the union strong. It will make Canada Post strong. It will make the country stronger and that is what I believe we should be doing.

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, when I addressed this piece of legislation, I explained and I pointed to the charter that we have just brought in. Through that charter, the people of Canada, who actually own Canada Post, give Canada Post the mandate to have an effective universal system that is going to be run as efficiently as possible.

When we say “as efficiently as possible”, we are not taking away the opportunity for Canada Post to deal with remailing. All we are saying is that it does not have an exclusive right. That will keep it sharper and more aggressive. It is going to compete in that business and will have the opportunity to do so.

We encourage Canada Post to capitalize on the remailing business as much as it possibly can. There is no monopoly by the private sector on this. We are saying we should see if it can do it.

Canada Post's mandate does not really necessarily give it an exclusive right to international remailers. The world has changed. It has an exclusive right and a responsibility to provide mail for Canadians from coast to coast to coast in an appropriate time, in an appropriate way and at an appropriate cost.