Opposition MPs blast "crazy" omnibus budget bill C-59

Finance critics and MPs from both the NDP and Liberal parties blasted the federal government’s 2015 budget, taking aim at everything from long-gun registry record destruction to employment statistics.

Liberal finance critic Scott Brison had harsh words about the government’s elimination of the long-gun registry, which formed part of the Harper government’s latest ‘omnibus’ Bill C-59, ‘An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 21, 2015 and other measures.’

“The most egregious thing the Conservatives do in this bill is retroactively changing the law to make something that was illegal at the time legal,” Brison said. “But the Conservatives won't speak out against this because they're all whipped — they don't have the will to defend the rule of law in this case.”

The long-gun registry was first eliminated in 2012. Earlier in 2015 the Harper government retroactively exempted registry data from Canada’s access law, which Canada’s information and privacy watchdog alleged could be used to cover up paper trails in scandals such as the one involving suspended senator Mike Duffy, who is currently facing trial.

While the Quebec government was keen on keeping the registry alive, Ottawa scrapped its remnants after the Supreme Court ruled in its favour in March, allowing the Harper Government to shred it for good. Quebec has vowed to create its own provincial registry.

“The government has for years crossed the line in terms of what is acceptable for a functioning democracy. They've taken omnibus budget bills to a new extreme, [and] regularly shut down debate in the House of Commons,” said Brison.

His sentiments were echoed by NDP finance critic Nathan Cullen, who described the government’s handling of the long gun registry as “an all-time low. Facts and documents represent the truth, and without that you don't really have a democracy.”

Cullen also took aim at the government’s handling of unemployment numbers, saying that there are more than 1.3 million unemployed Canadians, and that numbers have been on the rise since Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office.

The government’s own budget statistics from April 21 claim, on the contrary, that more than 1.2 million more Canadians are in work now compared to the recession’s end in 2009, which are mostly jobs in high-wage private sector industries.

On Wednesday, Cullen argued in the House of Commons that the Conservative Party made "anti-democratic history" by passing a motion to impose a time limit on the debate for C-59, which he said was the hundredth time the Tories have done so since they formed government.

He also referenced unions representing Canada’s public servants, who promised a legal challenge to Bill C-59 even before it was passed. The NDP allege that the legislation allows the government to simply impose any sick leave or disability programme it wants, which they say is unconstitutional.

Another point of contention has been health care — Opposition members questioned how the federal government was going to make up for the $36 billion shortfall in public health care expected since the Health Accord expired last year.

A major bone of contention between the Tories and NDP was better protection for interns, for which the Conservatives voted in favour earlier this spring, but the official opposition charged that it does nothing to protect interns from being exploited as unpaid labour, being forced to work unlimited hours, or facing sexual harassment.

“That means protection from sexual harassment, the right to work, the Conservatives said they were going to fix all that — and they didn't. The Canadian Intern Association, students, they were all very critical of this. And the Conservatives said if they did, there wouldn't be any internships; wouldn't that be a problem? Well, if an employer is saying ‘I need to be able to sexually harass an intern,’ or that ‘I need to be able to abuse my intern at work,’ you wouldn't send a friend to that internship, right?” said Cullen. “God help any employer who thinks this way.”

Cullen’s fellow MP, Matthew Kellway, critic for transport, urban affairs, and infrastructure and communities, said that Bill C-59 failed to properly address issues such as urban public transport, as the Harper government’s budget did not offer urban transit funding until the third year out, after which federal contributions would be capped at only 25 per cent.

Kellway said that as a result, towns and cities in urgent need of transit assistance would not receive aid until the next federal election.

A second issue was that of new regulations for wastewater treatment, which Kellway said did not come with attached funds to help municipalities cope with what he said were often enormous costs.

“That’s a critical infrastructure issue the government failed to address,” said Kellway.

Green Party Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Bruce Hyer slammed the budget as increasing funding for prisons and national security agencies such as CSIS and the RCMP, while cutting funds from veterans’ welfare and environmental protection bodies.

“[There’s] a huge increase in prisons as we imitate the US and throw more and more people into jail for crimes that do not represent a significant public risk. We’re becoming more and more Americanized,” said Hyer, adding that it cost between $80,000 - $125,000 per head to keep prisoners locked up, far more than investing in mental health services or job training.

The original April 21 budget document makes no mention of increased funding for Corrections Canada, but the government has pledged $292 million for law enforcement and intelligence agencies over the next five years “for additional investigative resources to counter terrorism,” and $12.5 million to the Security Intelligence Review Committee “to enhance its review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.”

“It’s not only wrong, it’s very foolish and downright crazy,” said Hyer.

According to Hyer, the Harper administration spent $75 million on self-promotion, which he said was far more than what was spent on any environmental agency.

The government’s own April 21 figures state that $75 million over five years will be allocated to implementing the Species at Risk Act. Another $2 million will go towards the Pacific Salmon Foundation to support the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project in 2015-16, among others.

But climate change was not mentioned at all, despite funding allocated for endangered species.

The Greens’ finance critic, Ken Melamed, said that the 2015 budget showed Canada as lagging behind the rest of the world in developing renewable energy sources, and changes to the National Energy Board Act showed that the government was trying to keep the natural gas industry alive, sentiments echoed by party leader Elizabeth May.

“It is shocking that in this year of 2015, when we are gearing up for major climate negotiations, Stephen Harper is so disconnected from the world,” May said.