Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
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Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Richmond Hill for his work on this file. Today, I am proud to announce that the Government of Canada will be reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. We are creating a centre for greening of government at Treasury Board that will track emissions, coordinate efforts across government, and drive results.The government must do its part, and that is what it will do by developing a clean, sustainable economy that creates good jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, we are working with the stakeholders to ease the transition. My staff has had a good conversation with the mayor. I would be happy to meet the member at any time.The fact of the matter is there is a net increase in jobs in Alberta, but there is a strong case for this. We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers' money wisely, to improve the efficiency of the immigration department and reduce processing times.
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many expert opinions and perspectives on how to reform our electoral system. That is why we have a committee and are holding consultations.I am looking forward to the results of all of these consultations and ideas about reforming our electoral system in a way that reflects the values and desires of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I think the minister is too ashamed to admit how he voted at the UN.Yesterday, we learned the defence minister is making another trip to Africa. It seems the Liberals are hell-bent on sending 600 Canadian troops into harm's way. Before the minister sends our troops anywhere, he should explain to Canadians what interest we have in sending troops to Mali where 100 peacekeepers have already been killed.Will the Prime Minister admit that sending troops to Mali serves no Canadian interests, other than his own vain campaign to win himself a seat at the UN Security Council?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Vimy for her question.On behalf of all parliamentarians, I want to congratulate our athletes on their performances in Rio and thank them for playing an important role in our society and in the lives of young people. Close to 1,000 students were with our Olympic and Paralympic athletes this morning. Our athletes inspire young people to be more active and more involved in sports, to dream, and to aspire to their own podium. I wish to welcome our athletes later on and to give them the heroes' welcome they deserve in the House for representing Canada on behalf of all Canadians. I thank them for their wonderful results in Rio this summer.
Mr. Speaker, we understand fully that it is important to offer young Canadians that opportunity for a first job. We have doubled the amount of money for the youth employment strategy and doubled the number of summer jobs for young Canadians. I would like to thank the student organizations, those I have met with. I was just at Mount Saint Vincent and I was at Cape Breton University. Roy Karam, the president of the student union at CBU, commented about our investment in students, Im excited and I know students will be happy as wellits a win for students.This government knows the needs of students and we are here to support them.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a great day for Canadians students as the loan repayment act came into being and now Canadian students do not have to start their repayment until they have employment that pays over $25,000 annually. This is over and above the $1.5 billion that this government has invested in student grants. We have increased the level of student grants for low-income Canadians by 50%. The lowest-income Canadians are now eligible for a cap of $3,000, up from $2,000. We are listening to students and we are
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand, and that any credible plan to reduce our production of greenhouse gases must include carbon pricing.In the federal sustainability strategy, the government announced its intention to create a low-carbon government. Can the minister update the House as to the government's plan to do its part in tackling climate change?
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that Canadian families who have benefited from the Canada child benefit and a tax cut would give us a gold medal, because they now have more money in their pockets.We started with a very important first step: making life better for Canadian families now. This means that we can now focus on investing in the future for their children and grandchildren. That is what the program we announced yesterday is all about, and we are implementing that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government had a golden opportunity to turn Canada's economic situation around and grab the bull by the horns. Instead, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance decided to make matters worse.The minister announced $32 billion in additional spending over the coming years. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have to foot the bill for those billions of dollars and this mismanagement.Earlier, in committee, I asked the minister four times to tell me when the budget would be balanced again. I am a good sport. I am prepared to give the minister a gold medal as soon as he tells us exactly when the budget will be balanced for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as we look at all aspects of conflict in Africa, we will be selecting a place where Canada can make a meaningful contribution. Our Canadian Armed Forces have participated in UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we have been recognized for it.Canada has a role to play in conflict reduction and conflict prevention, and we have a responsibility to the world to be a responsible partner. We will bring a whole-of-government approach to this and I look forward to sharing this with all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, our Canada infrastructure bank will help our economy. We will have the opportunity to leverage our efforts and generate more opportunities for projects that will be transformative for our economy. That is our goal. We know that with more investment in infrastructure we will create jobs now and in the future for Canadian families.
Mr. Speaker, I would point out to the Prime Minister that these people have jobs. They want to keep them. They do not want EI. They want to keep the jobs they have.We now have new bribery charges against one of Kathleen Wynne's top advisers. This is the same person who once held a fundraiser for the Prime Minister. Now we have our Prime Minister and the cabinet refusing to acknowledge their own ethical violations with their cash to access scheme. This is a lesson for the Prime Minister. He can enforce his own ethical guidelines, or he can end up one day like Kathleen Wynne. What is it going to be?
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we seek to maximize membership on this council with countries that have strong human rights records at home and abroad, and that this council, as everywhere, will promote universal human rights, as we have done over the last year with the greatest of results.This government asked for clemency in all cases of Canadians facing execution abroad. We will adopt the optional protocol to the convention against torture of the United Nations and a lot of
Mr. Speaker, the problem with what the Prime Minister just said is that, in fact, he is not following all the rules. He is not following his own rules. He came into office saying he was going to raise the ethical standards. He brought in his own ethical guidelines for himself and for his ministers, and they are all violating them. Will he follow his own rules?
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of a government that did not do a good job of living up to Canadians' expectations, we know people needed and wanted a government that was more open, transparent, and mostly accessible. That is exactly what we have been in terms of pre-budget consultations that the minister has done, in terms of consultations that we have done right across the country, and been roundly criticized for for talking too much with Canadians, for listening too much to Canadians. We have demonstrated a level of openness and accountability that no government up until ours has ever had, and we are proud of that.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that we are moving forward on our plan, because we know that it is the right thing to do, but we also know that leading economists around the world are looking at what Canada is doing and are saying that this is absolutely what we should do.With the fiscal situation we have and the opportunity to make investments, we are moving forward, because we know it is better for our economy, it is better for Canadians, and it will create jobs. I can say that Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says she hopes that our policies go viral around the world. Leading economists recognize that we are doing exactly what we should be doing at this time for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, here is the history of the member for ReginaWascana. As agriculture minister, he stripped the 100-year-old Crow rate advantage from western Canadian farmers. As minister, he coordinated the jailing of farmers just for trying to sell their own grain. Now he stands against prairie farmers by supporting a federally imposed Liberal carbon tax that will drive up the price of everything, fuel, fertilizers, and equipment, making our farmers uncompetitive.For once, will he stand up and put Saskatchewan farmers and farm families ahead of his own Ottawa political ambitions?
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have been making tremendous progress in supporting first nations children in this country. We are the first government to step up and accept Jordan's principle and are investing more than $382 million immediately in first nations children. We were the first government to accept the ruling of the tribunal and move immediately to invest more than $635 million in first nations children in this country.We know the system needs to be reformed. We ask all colleagues in this House to work with us and indigenous governments to make that happen.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising this issue.In budget 2016, we announced important measures to increase the flexibility and inclusivity of EI benefits. We also announced substantial investments to improve the quality of government services. I look forward to working with all members of the House to ensure that those services are as useful and as relevant as possible for all unemployed workers.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the economic statement we delivered yesterday, because we explained to Canadians how we are going to improve their situation with our plan for economic growth. It is very important.We are going to make investments in infrastructure to stimulate our economy and create more jobs and future opportunities for young people and future generations. It is an important plan for the future of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have been doing that with considerable success since 1974.This summer, I had the privilege of announcing more than half a billion dollars in federal investments in science, infrastructure, and job creation in Saskatchewan, as well as housing and a vast array of social programs. I will continue to fight every inch of the way for the best results for Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, my former colleague, Jim Flaherty, was once named the best finance minister in the world. I cannot wait to see who will be named next.The only medal our children might get is a medal for hope, because they will be the ones left to pay off the Liberal deficit for generations to come. We will never see the end of this story.Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget? Canadians cannot trust this Prime Minister.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canada Post is a crown corporation. It makes decisions about where it buys its products. We are working closely to make sure that Canadians get the services they need and deserve. That is what we are doing with the review of Canada Post, which we committed to do. I am looking forward to getting a report from both the task force and the parliamentary committee that is presently on the review.
Mr. Speaker, today, many members had an opportunity to meet Paralympic and Olympic athletes along with the coaches who were in Rio, but we were not the only ones to have that opportunity.Many students also had an opportunity to meet them at two events held simultaneously in Gatineau and Ottawa.Can the minister tell us about the important role our athletes play in the lives of young people?
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in Africa, where I was able to take Canadians to understand the conflicts within those nations.While Canada has a responsible part to play in this world in conflict prevention and conflict reduction, this is another trip that I will be taking to Africa to learn more and work with my colleagues in a whole-of-government approach to peace operations, which I look forward to sharing with Canadians and all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House we adopted a motion calling on the government to end the discrimination against first nations' children. However, there is nothing new in the minister's economic update to enforce that decision.The only indigenous economic adviser on the government's advisory council noted that the minister should include something more helpful for first nations' children in his speech. It is one thing to vote in favour of the motion. Now it is time to implement it.When will the minister release funding for first nations' children?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to reassure, and remind Canadians that at the federal level we have some of the toughest rules on fundraising of any level of government across the country, indeed the continent. There are very strict limits on personal donations, and a total ban on union or corporate donations. It is important to draw Canadians into the political process. It is important to go out and meet with them, and be accessible, as we are, to record levels. However, it is also important that people be able to donate and support the political parties of their choice. We are respecting all the rules and, indeed, we have opened up the level of openness.
Mr. Speaker, today, students on the Hill and across the country are speaking for a generation that is burdened by debt and facing rising rates of unemployment. They are putting forward bold solutions in the face of rising, precarious work, ones that we heard on our national tour across the country.Instead of placating young people and telling them to accept the unacceptable, will the Prime Minister, the Minister of Youth, listen to students' solutions and stand up and show leadership for the millennial generation?
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, Canadians asked this government to put the middle class first. That is exactly what we have done, by supporting Canadians through our first budget where we put in place measures that are really helping families, and by moving forward in our economic statement yesterday to talk about how we are going to actually make a long-term difference through better long-paying jobs for Canadians.This is part of a plan. We will continue to work on behalf of middle-class families. We will move forward in budget 2017 to make measurable impacts
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was an historic day for Canadian municipalities from coast to coast to coast. We committed to invest more than $180 billion over the next 12 years, and as part of our commitment in budget 2016, we approved more than 950 projects, with a combined investment of $12 billion. The majority of those projects are under way, helping municipalities buy buses, do their advance planning work for the next stage of infrastructure, improve water
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in KootenayColumbia who have lost their jobs will be facing a month-long interruption in receiving their employment insurance. This is because government was not prepared to process the number of applicants that would need assistance when it extended benefits for my region, which has been hit by the economic downturn.These constituents will now go without income for four weeks. What is the government doing to address the backlog, and what advice does the minister have for the people in my riding who will go a month without much needed income?
Mr. Speaker, on the substance of the federal proposal, it provides the province with complete control over program design and also all the revenues. This would enable Saskatchewan to eliminate its personal income tax, or its property tax, or a whole variety of other taxes. It makes carbon capture and sequestration far more competitive and it makes a stronger case for building a pipeline. It also supports science in water, food, and CCS. It provides funding for a power grid announced just yesterday, and major water development projects to control flooding and expand irrigation. It is a good plan.
Mr. Speaker, the minister's excuse for closing the Vegreville processing centre and moving it to a Liberal city riding is nonsense. He claimed there was a strong business case and cited efficiencies. He also said that the union agrees, but prairie PSAC reps say, This has nothing to do with workload or the capacity of these employees to deliver service.... The reasons given by department heads were trivial. They confirm that senior officials said that no cost analysis was done. They call for a reversal of this edict.How can Vegreville believe anything the minister says?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing her unique voice to the House. CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest, and it is time for all of us to rally around it. On top of delivering tangible growth for our economy and opportunities for the middle class, CETA will provide a strong foundation for Canada and the EU to demonstrate leadership on what is truly a progressive accord, a green accord, a health accord, and a labour accord. It also enshrines the right to regulate.The ICS provisions, I suspect, are something that the trade committee will look at over the upcoming weeks. We will work with the committee and with our European partners as well.
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely following our own rules. We are following all the rules in place. This government is doing more open engagements with Canadians, more listening to Canadians, and more connection with stakeholders than any previous government. At the same time, when it comes to political fundraising, we are following all the very important and clear rules around limits on personal donations, on banning corporate and union donations. Canadians need to be reassured that we actually have an extremely strong and robust political fundraising system at the federal level, one in which Canadians can be confident.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has signalled that he may also break his promise on changing the electoral system. The reason he gave is that the Liberals won the last election with the current system. That is actually what he said. I would like to ask the Prime Minister about his own private town hall on electoral reform. Can he tell everyone here today, among those attending, which electoral system had the most support?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I announced our long-term economic plan. This plan will truly help grow our economy for the future of our country. In the meantime, we want to be prudent. That is why our GDP-to-debt ratio will fall during our term.The important thing for Canadians and the middle class is that we are investing in them and in our country, like a country that is confident in its future.
Mr. Speaker, as many members in the House know, and indeed people across the country, the minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions have been out across the country doing many town halls. I was fortunate enough to drop into a town hall for a few minutes in my riding and encouraged people to express themselves. The report on that consultation along with all the other consultations done by the minister and MPs will be part of the deliberations coming up.
Mr. Speaker, the matter of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections is a very serious one. I am working actively with the Public Health Agency of Canada to update our approach to these conditions, including hepatitis C and HIV. We will be working with communities to make sure they have access to the resources they need. We look forward to an approach that will make sure Canadians are healthy into the future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. We announced yesterday an historic plan for investing in infrastructure. It is an important plan that provides a $2-billion investment in rural communities. It is an historic plan that provides, as well, a significant amount for a Canada infrastructure bank that is going to allow us to do even more with our infrastructure dollars for transformational projects. We have set out something that we know will have a big impact on our economy and on jobs both today and tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians can agree that the challenges we are facing as a nation require a long-term plan. We have started, with budget 2016, making a real and measurable difference for Canadian families, improving their lives and improving the lives of their children. We are now moving forward with a long-term plan, one we are going to execute responsibly by ensuring that we make investments in infrastructure that can improve our economy over the long term and can help Canadian families, with more jobs, in the short term.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising this issue in the House. The matter of HIV funding is something I have been interested in and advocating for over 30 years. It is an issue that was not appropriately addressed in the past decade. In fact, there has been little attention paid to this matter at the federal level for some time.We are interested in a new approach to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, including HIV and Hepatitis C. We are looking for ways to invest in good organizations and will continue to provide the support that Canadians need.
Mr. Speaker, what the finance minister does not understand is that every dollar he adds to the economy in new spending he must first subtract through borrowing and by taxing it out of the economy in the first place. As Churchill would say of the finance minister, he is like the man who tried to lift himself up and fly by standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle. In reality, he is pushing down, 6,000 jobs down, since the borrowing binge began. When will the government stop pushing down on our economy, our workers, and our taxpayers?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians decided that balancing the budget at all costs was the wrong decision.Focusing on how we can improve the economy over the long term is exactly what we are trying to do. We are focusing on how we can make investments in the long term for our country that will make a real and measurable difference in our productive capacity. Most importantly, it will create jobs for Canadians. It will help the middle class.Yesterday was an important day in setting out our vision for doing that. We are going to do it in a responsible way. It will have a real impact over the long term.
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall has written a letter to the Minister of Public Safety asking him to start defending his constituents instead of job-killing Liberal policies, but Saskatchewan's lone Liberal MP has gone into hiding. I would like to believe that the member for ReginaWascana wants to do the right thing and defend his province. Why will he not? When will the Minister of Public Safety stand in his place and start defending the interests of our province and all Saskatchewanians?
Mr. Speaker, CETA is clearly in Canada's national interest. It is a progressive trade deal that ensures very high standards for environmental protection, for labour, etcetera.It is time, we believe, for all members in this House to rally around it and put partisan politics aside. All 28 member countries in the European Union have supported CETA. It is also supported by all the provinces, including Quebec. The trade committee will have a chance to look at CETA and address certain issues, but for the time being, Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, has called it a historic, modern, and progressive agreement.
Mr. Speaker, Europe has been clear that CETA cannot proceed without changes to investor state rules to protect national sovereignty.The minister has already tabled legislation to implement CETA, in spite of the fact that she has provided no answers on compensation for dairy farmers, nothing to address rising drug prices, and no plan to fix rules that leave our environmental laws and local procurement at risk of foreign lawsuits.Will the minister admit that there is more work to be done and commit to removing investor state provisions from CETA?
Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Would the minister explain how our government's plan will help middle-class families and what the next steps are in order to grow the economy sustainably?
Mr. Speaker, here is a scenario. If the CETA agreement were in force and a controversial Ajax mine in Kamloops, British Columbia were turned down by the British Columbia government, the Polish mining company would have the right to bring an arbitration case against Canada. On the other hand, were a Canadian company to have a grievance with Poland, it is not at all clear that it could sue, because Wallonia has won opt-out provisions for every European nation. Will the Prime Minister commit that Parliament will have adequate time to research, study, and understand CETA before we vote on it?
Mr. Speaker, the problem for the Minister of Finance is that it will be Canadians, not people from around the world, who will be paying down our deficit.Yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities stated that 950 projects worth $11 billion have been approved, but according to the Infrastructure Canada database we are really talking about 860 projects worth $4.2 billion. In addition to these conflicting figures, there is another figure that stands out. It is the number one: one year of Liberal governance, one year of excessive spending, one year of deficit and fewer than 10 new projects under way so far.When will this government start creating real jobs here in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced the creation of a Canadian investment bank. All we know right now is that the $15 billion promised to communities will go to this bank. What people need to see are not new organizations, but people at work, and not money invested in banks, but money invested in job sites.Can the minister finally propose a real job creation plan that will put Canadians to work?
Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment to Canadians that we are actually going to invest in the long term. We are going to make a real difference to the future growth of our economy. Canadians knew that the last decade of low growth meant that we needed to take a different tack, a tack that improves the lives of middle-class Canadians today, a tack that means we are going to have a better future tomorrow. We are going to make responsible investments that are going to make a real difference for our children and our grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to comment on the impressive record we have with respect to the promotion of human rights over the last year.We created the the office of human rights, freedoms, and inclusion. We are supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights with a contribution of $15 million in new base funding. Canada has been elected to the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. Human rights, freedoms and inclusion are now among the fundamental objectives of all Canadian heads of missions. We have tabled new legislation to guarantee and protect the legal rights and
Mr. Speaker, it has only been six months since his first budget, and the Prime Minister is already back to borrow an extra $32 billion. He has completely abandoned his plan to balance the budget. He does not even pretend to care anymore. He just shrugs his shoulders.We know who is going to pay the taxes for all of this spending. It is going to be hard-working Canadian families. When is the Prime Minister going to start showing them some respect?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is a corporate guy who knows all about returns on investments, so maybe he can explain this. He says we need to borrow $26 billion this year to spend on creating jobs, yet since the borrowing binge began, we have actually lost 6,000 full-time jobs. If it costs $26 billion to kill 6,000 jobs, how much would it cost to create one?
Mr. Speaker, as we welcome our Olympic athletes here today, the only medal that government over there deserves is a medal for the worst public administration.The Liberals promised a $10-billion deficit, which was already pretty huge, but now it looks like it could be double or even triple that amount by the end of the fiscal year. Furthermore, the government does not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget. Why is there no plan for returning to a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of climate change, like droughts, fires, storms, and floods, impose billions of dollars in costs and losses on provinces like Saskatchewan and its municipalities. As I said earlier, the Government of Canada has an investment plan to expand the economy of Saskatchewan. Over $500 million has already been announced. We are also prepared to invest in science, such as carbon capture and sequestration, which Premier Wall has advocated; the global food centre in Saskatoon; the major water facility at the University of Saskatchewan; smart power grids; and flood prevention.Mr. Speaker
Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be assured that the federal government has extremely strict rules around fundraising. This is important to all Canadians, and we are following the rules because we know that people need to have confidence in their government, in their ministers, and in how our political parties operate. That is why we are always transparent, accountable, and open about our fundraisers.That is what people expect, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we actually lowered taxes for the middle class, and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, which the members opposite voted against. We know Canadians need help in terms of support for the middle class, but they also need jobs. That is why our historic investments in infrastructure are going to make a significant difference by upgrading and supporting current infrastructure, by creating new public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure. These investments will create opportunities for Canadians now and long into the future. That is what Canadians voted for. That is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, former Liberal justice minister and human rights champion Irwin Cotler, among others, called on the minister to defy the UN's secretive and hypocritical tradition and make Canada's vote public. The minister refused, as he did again today.We recognize the Liberals' willingness to mute Canada's principled voice in their shameless quest for a security council seat, but will the minister, today, reconsider, demonstrate leadership on the human rights file, and tell Canadians how Canada voted on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba?
Mr. Speaker, Premier Wall penned a letter to the Minister of Public Safety urging him to speak up for the people he is supposed to represent. The Liberal carbon tax scheme will cost Saskatchewan jobs, yet the minister from Wascana continues to support this tax on Saskatchewan families.When will the Minister of Public Safety remember that he was elected to represent the people of Saskatchewan in Ottawa rather than forcing an Ottawa-knows-best scheme on the families of Saskatchewan?
Mr. Speaker, at the onset of a national student movement, the Liberal government has promised that graduates can delay paying back their student loans until they earn at least $25,000 a year. However, that is nothing new. It is a recycled announcement from the last budget, and it does not solve any of the basic problems that are causing students to rack up massive amounts of debt.Will the government stop trying to use smoke and mirrors and finally take real action to guarantee affordable access to post-secondary education in Quebec and Canada?
Mr. Speaker, over the past months, we have stepped up to historic levels our investments and support of communities across the country, including Alberta. Whether it is strengthening the EI system, or making hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Alberta to support the important economy there, we know that what Albertans need most is a government that understands that getting resources to market in a sustainable way is something all Canadians need, that the previous government was unable to do.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taxes for hard-working Canadian families, we lowered them on the middle class, so we could raise them on the wealthiest 1%. The members opposite voted against the measure to lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We will take no lessons on investing in the middle class and building for the future from a former government that did not get it done for 10 long years.
Mr. Speaker, last winter, thousands of Canadians were unable to get their mail because their mailboxes were frozen shut. Rather than buying mailboxes made in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada Post chose to buy mailboxes made in Kansas.It is funny. The Liberals promised to bring back home mail delivery, but I have not heard the members opposite talk about this issue lately.The government wants to spend billions of dollars to privatize our infrastructure, so why does it not require crown corporations to buy products that are made in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, according to reports, job creation over the last year was half of what it was over the five previous years, and no full-time jobs were created. The Liberals have increased the debt, and yesterday the finance minister announced that he will borrow yet another $32 billion. This is for the same infrastructure plan that resulted in zero job gains. When will the government admit that this is a failed plan and heed the advice of leading economists and stop spending more taxpayer dollars?
Mr. Speaker, the minister is taking $15 billion away from communities, money that has already been announced for public transit, for green infrastructure, and for rural and northern communities. This is a betrayal. The communities across this country have been waiting and planning for this money to build important infrastructure projects and to create much-needed jobs. Why are the Liberals creating high-risk schemes that will fail communities and out-of-work Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the nightmare for taxpayers continues. Yesterday, the Prime Minister doubled down on a failed plan. He promised that if he spent billions of dollars, he would create jobs, but not one single new additional full-time job has been created in Canada since he was elected. What is the Prime Minister going to say to the thousands of Canadians who are out of work, and who only see higher taxes?
Mr. Speaker, I know the Prime Minister has a hard time admitting this, but most of the people at his secret town hall supported proportional representation. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that he believes in evidence-based decision making. Well, 90% of the experts who testified before the parliamentary committee were in favour of proportional representation.Will the Prime Minister look to the evidence in deciding how to proceed with electoral reform?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister is going to visit Mali, where the government is preparing to send our troops. As a former commander of this type of infantry, I am well aware of the risks associated with the different missions.I would like to remind the House that, this year alone, this mission has cost over 32 peacekeepers their lives, bringing the total number of casualties up to 100.If the minister discovers that the mission is too dangerous for our troops and that it does nothing serve our national interests, will he stand up to the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, back in September, the Prime Minister told the entire world that fighting AIDS was a priority. At the same time, the Public Health Agency of Canada was cutting funding to Dopamine, an organization that fights HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among drug users in Hochelaga. With criteria that remain unspecified, documents that are mistranslated or not translated at all, and botched decisions, the process surrounding the community initiatives fund is a complete boondoggle.Will the minister sit down with community groups in Quebec to find a solution to this disaster?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have slashed HIV/AIDS funding without giving a single organization advance notice. These organizations play an important role in reducing the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and they provide support to the literally thousands of Canadians living with this illness. Our previous Conservative government invested in Canadian programs. The current Liberal government is cutting them out.Why are Canadian tax dollars not going to Canadian AIDS organizations before going to other countries?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wrote in the mandate letter to every one of his ministers the following: ...you must uphold the highest standards of honesty and impartiality...This is an obligation that is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law. What did the Prime Minister mean by that?
Mr. Speaker, we have just witnessed the annual ritual of some of the world's worst human rights abusers elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.The good news is that Russia has been denied the seat it so long took for granted. However, China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba will be seated. The vote, as usual, was secret. However, the vote is not the minister's. It belongs to all Canadians.Will the minister tell Canadians how Canada voted on these four notorious human rights abusing nations?
Mr. Speaker, cash for access fundraisers do affect the impartiality of his ministers, and yet, the Liberals keep defending themselves as the Prime Minister just did because they are in technical compliance with the law. That is not what he promised. Cash for access fundraising is a form of corruption, and this country has had it with Liberal corruption.The Prime Minister must choose: either he can claim they are adhering to standards that are even stricter than the law or he can assert that they have done nothing wrong because, technically, they are complying with the law. Which is it?
Mr. Speaker, this is the worst case scenario. Five times I have asked the minister when we will we get back to equilibrium. No answer at all. That is a clear message to hard-working Canadians.When we are not paying what we have to, well, we will be sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.It is curious. The government is spending billions of dollars. It can borrow billions of dollars. However, when we talk to ordinary Canadians, it is tougher for them to borrow money and get mortgages, thanks to the Minister of Finance.What does that mean? Is it do as I say, not as I do?
Mr. Speaker, Vegreville is a rural community of only 5,800 people, and just like many parts of Alberta, it is hard hit. Oil and gas jobs are non-existent. A lot of people are worried about their mortgages. However, the Prime Minister is making a bad situation worse by shutting down the federal processing immigration centre in this small town. It is going to cost hundreds of jobs. This is devastating the community. However, the Prime Minister can do something about it. He can reverse this decision, show some compassion, and leave these jobs in this town.