Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
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Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' bill removes rights from women. How can they be proud of that?In the wake of Stephen Harper's decade-long reign, Canadians have lost faith in our pipeline review process.The Liberals set up a panel to fix the review process, but most of the members of that panel are from the oil and gas industry.Would the minister like to share with us his definition of conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South ShoreSt. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightly proud of the thousands of new Canadians we welcome each year into our communities, many of whom come to Canada to attend our well-respected post-secondary institutions, including my alma mater, Wilfrid Laurier University.Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on how the government is attracting some of the best and brightest international students to come to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question. I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, we do welcome Mexicans to Canada. We welcome the tourists. We welcome their expenditures. We welcome closer ties with our NATO partner, and we are aware of the risks. Of course we knew there were risks. There are risks when we do anything. We knew there were risks. We are working with the Mexican government to minimize those risks. We are monitoring the situation. However, we are very happy to welcome more Mexican tourists to this country, and to accept the jobs that go along with that.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rulesIt is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South ShoreSt. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal bill on pensions will penalize women who take time out of the workforce to raise kids, a protection that has existed since 1977.The Liberal government insists that it is proud of the new Canada pension plan. How can it be proud of a plan that penalizes women? My question is simple. Was this an oversight in the drafting of this legislation, and if so, when will the government fix it?
Mr. Speaker, I have to say I am surprised at the hon. member's response to a panel of five distinguished Canadians who represent many interests. There are two indigenous leaders as part of this five-person panel. There are those who have long experience with the regulatory process. Would the member have us appoint people who have no experience with the process? We are proud of the five. They will do great work for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians. With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear our hon. colleague talking about how proud everyone in the House is of the improvements to the Canada pension plan. These improvements will lift 300,000 families out of income insecurity in a few years. Most of these families consist of women. Beginning in 2019, this will lift 6,000 low-income workers out of insecurity, again, most of them women, all thanks to an increase in the working income tax benefit. This is very good news for all Canadians, and especially for women.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner. When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Mr. Speaker, we always treat our tax dollars with great respect in this government. We have decided to make unprecedented investments in infrastructure, something that was never done by the previous government. We will invest $180 billion during the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors. This is a good thing for Canada, and we have created an infrastructure bank so we can get even more money to put into our infrastructure. Canadians want this. It creates jobs. It is good for the economy.
Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has confirmed that the use of the harmful malaria drug mefloquine can cause long-lasting psychological affects. Many of our veterans have testified about suffering life-altering side affects after using the drug, yet the defence minister continues to support the use of mefloquine, stating that it is up to the soldiers to assess the risk themselves. Really?My question is for the defence minister. With the evidence mounting, when will he do the right thing and protect our Canadian soldiers from mefloquine?
Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague on the other side would be happy to hear about our clear action plan to grow the middle class and Canadian jobs. We are very proud that our Prime Minister was in Toronto yesterday to speak with investors, and we had a number of ministers. Let me remind this chamber what one of the members said, and I hope the member is going to listen. The chief executive of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan said, "I believe that they have a vision to put together a model which is pretty ground-breaking. ...In terms of the details of how it will actually be executed, I think they are correctly looking to the expertise that exists in the country for input and advice on how to move this agenda forward." That is the
Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the unprecedented investments our government is making. Some $180 billion will be invested over the next 12 years in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, public transit, and transportation corridors to enhance trade. We also created an infrastructure bank so that investors can contribute and we can do even more to enhance our infrastructure. That is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, I think we all stand in solidarity with women who are experiencing violence in their everyday lives. It is heartwarming to see so many people wearing purple today.I am very excited to be working on a federal gender-based violence strategy that is going to take into account the tremendous work that needs to be done in this country to address this issue. I am very much looking forward to reporting to this House in 2017 how our strategy will unfold.
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the situation and I have asked the department for additional briefings on it. When I have additional information, I will provide it for the member.
Mr. Speaker, the government has extended loan guarantees to the Muskrat Falls project. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is entirely responsible for the completion of this. It is part of the government's strategy to make sure that we are producing non-emitting sources of electricity, which will very much be a part of Atlantic Canada's energy future.
Mr. Speaker, the member perhaps may want to reflect on what he just said about distinguished Canadians, including grand chiefs, both in Saskatchewan and in British Columbia, that he is accusing of being corporate hacks.That is not the kind of respectful discourse that will create some credibility for the regulator trying to do a good job for Canadians. These are very unfortunate accusations.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I appreciate this opportunity to go into more detail about how important the Canada pension plan enhancement is for women.We know that, unfortunately, many of them live alone once they reach retirement age. In recent months, we lowered the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will lift 100,000 Canadian seniors out of poverty or prevent them from becoming poor. Many of those seniors are women, and 80% of the seniors living in poverty are single women.This is important. We are working very hard
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Mr. Speaker, from coast to coast to coast, first nations governments are accountable to their members. They post it on websites, they post it on password-protected websites, they have town hall meetings, and they post the audited statements in their band office. I will repeat this. If any member is unable to achieve that or has not been shown the data, which I think is sometimes a different interpretation by the member than others, we will be happy to facilitate that information.However, most first nations are reporting this way, and the member should stop demonizing them.
Mr. Speaker, I know time is tight, so I will make this quick. I just want to draw your attention to statements made on social networks concerning an accredited Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery journalist being denied access to a committee.I know that committees are masters of their own destiny, but given your responsibility toward the precinct, as well as our relationship with the parliamentary press gallery, without the ability to verify the veracity of this claim, I would certainly hope that you would take note of it and investigate further and make sure that journalists' rights have not been impeded in this particular situation.
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role. Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to answer in English what we have done for Canadians, and in the fall economic statement, we invested in Canadian families. We invested in infrastructure. We invested in our economy to create jobs.The world gets it and Canadians get it. Even the IMF director said she hopes the Canadian plan goes viral. I just hope that our friends on the other side will understand.That is the plan for Canadians. That is a plan for Canadian jobs. That is a plan for Canadian families and we will continue with that.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin for his question.Our government is working hard to equip young Canadians with the education and tools they need to succeed in an innovative economy. NSERC's technology access centres grants help engage youth in the development of new technologies. Through access to new research, cutting-edge technology, and industry professionals, students at Canada's colleges and CEGEPs are able to gain hands-on experience.
Mr. Speaker, I gave an answer earlier about the attitude of the Canadian government to the Keystone XL pipeline, should the company decide to reintroduce it so that the president-elect can make a decision. The member also knows that within the next number of weeks, there will be very important decisions made in Canada. We believe that we have followed a process that will carry the confidence of Canadians. As the member knows, this government believes that economic development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Mr. Speaker, I do not think we hide anything. I would invite my colleague to read page 8 of the platform. If she is not satisfied, she can read page 15 of the platform. If that is not enough, maybe she could read page 40 of the platform. That is three times.We are investing in the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to have more infrastructure: not less infrastructure, but more infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister was in Toronto pitching his new bank and claiming that the provinces and municipalities are happy with the idea of having access to additional funding.However, what the Prime Minister did not say is that the municipalities in the regions, the rural municipalities, will not see a penny of that money. The $15 billion that was earmarked for them will go into the infrastructure bank, and only projects of $100 million and over will be approved.Will the Prime Minister at least be honest with Canadians and tell the regions of Canada that, as a result of this bank, they will not see a single penny of infrastructure funding?
Mr. Speaker, we were elected on the promise of creating the largest infrastructure program in Canada's history. That is exactly what we are doing with $180 billion in investments: $81 billion in new funding, $25 billion for public transit, $22 billion for green infrastructure, and $22 billion for social infrastructure.The infrastructure bank is an additional tool that will allow us to build more infrastructure. We want more, not less.
Mr. Speaker, as a former teacher, I care a great deal about our young students' future prospects. Can the Minister of Science tell us how the federal government is encouraging our young people to learn about new technologies in a world where technology is constantly evolving?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a slow growth economy, and our government has invested in jobs and growth. It is why we reduced taxes for the middle class. It is why we introduced a Canada child benefit, which will raise 300,000 Canadian kids out of poverty. It is why we are investing in infrastructure to build more livable communities, a more competitive economy, and to create jobs and growth.When the member talks about taxes, why did she vote against a tax cut for the middle class, one that really helps generate economic activity in communities across Canada?
Mr. Speaker, today we wear purple to shine the light on violence against women. We stand in solidarity with women subject to violence, and we give them our unconditional support. When I was health minister, I was pleased to announce a 10-year $100 million investment to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse, with 30% of that funding going to aboriginal women, who, of course, are the most vulnerable of the victims.Can the health minister reassure the House that this funding and investment is still ongoing?
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister dithers, delays, and duplicates reviews for job-creating natural resource projects in Canada, president-elect Trump has said that he will move quickly to ramp up production of $50 trillion worth of American energy reserves. The United States has gone from being our biggest energy customer to our biggest competitor. Will this game-changing U.S. election finally wake the government up to the challenges facing our energy sector, and will the Liberals finally start supporting jobs in Canada that support Canadian energy workers?
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do. She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.
Mr. Speaker, privatization works. CN Rail, Air Canada, and Petro-Canada have gone from costly wards of the state to profitable private sector employers, because investors got both profit and the risk. By contrast, the Liberals will force taxpayers to take on the financial risk of infrastructure megaprojects while allowing billionaire bankers, like the ones the Prime Minister was schmoozing yesterday, to enjoy all the profit. Why should taxpayers get all of the risk while billionaire insiders get all of the profit?
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question.Our objective is to invest in Canadian middle-class families and create jobs in Canada. That is why we are very proud of what we have done. The fall economic statement announced historic investments in public transit infrastructure, green infrastructure for water and air quality, and social infrastructure. We have also invested in our trade corridors, and our rural and northern communities. We have created Investing in Canada and brought in a number of skills
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words assist, train, advise and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me a chance to talk about the work we have been doing to create a comprehensive federal gender-based violence strategy.We knew that in order to create a strategy, we needed to talk to the people on the ground. That is exactly what we did over the summer. We met with thousands of people from coast to coast. We talked about the needs of women in our communities, the front-line workers, academics, and researchers. When we were complete, we pulled all that information together. We look forward to releasing a strategy in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the best potential future Canadians are international students. They are educated, they are relatively young, they speak English or French, and they know something about the country. We are in competition for their services with other countries.That is why, yesterday, I announced changes in additional points for those students so that no less than 40% of our economic immigrants will in fact be international students.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it has been a year and the current government has not created one new, additional full-time job. One year ago, the Prime Minister claimed that he was disappointed with President Obama's decision to reject the Keystone pipeline, but now that the new president elect has expressed his support, will the Prime Minister do the right thing and move quickly to lend his personal and public support to the Keystone XL pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, there is no mention of the regions in the Speech from the Throne. There are no longer any ministers for the regional economic development of Canada. Now the Liberals have the nerve to take the $15 billion that was allocated to the regions and put it into this future bank that will fund projects of only $100 million or more and will not be accessible to Canada's rural municipalities and regions.In short, the government is saying goodbye to small and medium-size municipalities and hello to Liberal Party cronies. Is that how the Liberal Party plans to create jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the number of Canadians using food banks approaches one million people. That kind of hunger should not be happening in Canada. The government should take real action.Many users of food banks are women fleeing domestic violence. So far, the Liberal government has failed to deliver a comprehensive strategy to end violence against women. As this evening Parliament is illuminated in purple, marking Woman Abuse Prevention Month, we call on the government to turn its feminist rhetoric into real feminist action.
Mr. Speaker, the new reality Canada faces is simple. The president elect in the United States has promised major personal and business tax cuts. The current Prime Minister has raised income taxes, business taxes, and is implementing a carbon tax. His approach will drive new investment away from Canada to the United States. This means less jobs for Canadians and less growth. Faced with this new reality, will the Prime Minister cancel his tax hikes so Canada can compete?
Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure bank is far too serious a matter to joke about. As I said, we are delivering the largest infrastructure program in the history of Canada. We are investing in green infrastructure, social infrastructure, and public transit. The infrastructure bank is a fundamental tool for even more investment.The minister is currently holding consultations with cities, municipalities, the provinces, and the private sector. We will have the opportunity to announce the details later. This is a good thing for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the minister dodged the question, and he knows it. I guess he must not really be that proud after all, which is why he imposed time allocation.In 1977, the government reformed the Canada pension plan to ensure that women would no longer be penalized. The prime minister of the day was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.Forty years later, the current Prime Minister is refusing to admit to the mistake and is using closure to shut down debate. Trampling on women's rights like that is not very feminist, is it?
Mr. Speaker, our government and first nations governments are very serious about transparency and accountability. It is common practice for first nations to report to my department, as well as to their members, with their financial and program performance statements.If members of any community are having trouble receiving that from their chief and council, they are welcome to approach my department directly, and we will work with them to achieve their goal.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to say again that we are delivering the most ambitious infrastructure program in the history of Canada. I am talking about $81 billion in new funding. I talked about green and social infrastructure and public transit. Perhaps my colleague overlooked this part of the document, but there is also $2 billion going directly to small rural communities. We are investing not only in our cities, but also in all of our regions. It is time the hon. member understood that.
Mr. Speaker, the Muskrat Falls project has been beset by difficulties, cost overruns, and delays. The project has been in trouble. The project, however, carries the potential of providing clean electricity to Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Atlantic Canada. This is part of the national government's interest in encouraging these kinds of developments so that we will be easing the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach. A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say Contact my office, if they don't post it? It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister and eight ministers were in Toronto for a meeting hosted by the powerful, private equity firm BlackRock to discuss what the Canadian government can do to help these investors get a piece of our public infrastructure. Of course, private investors will not invest out of the goodness of their hearts; they will want a big return. The only way they will get that is through tolls and user fees for Canadians. Why did the Liberals hide their privatization scheme from Canadians during the campaign? This is not what Canadians voted for.
Mr. Speaker, we take the health and well-being of our Canadian Armed Forces members extremely seriously. Malaria is a life-threatening disease present in many areas of the world to which our members may deploy during their career. The type of medication members of our Canadian Forces use must be left to the medical experts. Individuals are carefully assessed and screened by health services to ensure they have all the necessary information to make an evidence-based decision for their anti-malarial medication.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's infrastructure bank should offer his billionaire buddies a return on their investment. This means user fees and tolls. The Prime Minister eliminated the toll from the Champlain Bridge. Is he now saying that he supports tolls?Who will make these decisions, the Prime Minister, mayors, the provinces, or investment firms?
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying. The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Mr. Speaker, the government had indicated its support for Keystone XL, and it also said that it was disappointed when President Obama saw it a different way. All of the necessary approvals in Canada are in place. They have not timed out. If the company decides that it wants to introduce it once again, the government will, as it was before, be supportive of the application.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister had that level of rigour with the Mexican visa requirement.Today, at a parliamentary committee, a senior immigration official, who is charge of all of Latin America, admitted that the Liberals knew there were risks associated with their rush to lift the Mexican visa requirement. We also learned from this official that the Liberals lifted the visa requirement in spite of this advice.Canadians deserve to know, and this is really important, what were these risks, why were the Liberals hiding them from Canadians, and why did the Liberals blatantly ignore them?
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Mr. Speaker, that is the choice? Industry hacks or nobody?Stephen Harper broke Canadians' trust in the pipeline review process, because he completely dismantled it. Instead of fulfilling their promise to fix the broken system, the Liberals have appointed a panel dominated by people with close ties to the oil industry to rewrite the rules for the oil industry. Hmm, I really wonder if the minister has even thought about the notion of conflict of interest.How can Canadians have any faith that the government is fixing the Harper mistakes when it keeps repeating them?
Mr. Speaker, if foreign billionaires loan the Canadian government money for bridges, hospitals, and schools, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They are looking for a return. Jobs will be a cost that is kept to a minimum, and taxpayer dollars will come second to their profits whenever a project goes over budget. Can the Prime Minister explain what safeguards he will put in place to ensure that taxpayer dollars are treated with respect, and do not simply become a backstop for the margins of billionaire investors?
Mr. Speaker, if pension funds want to invest in infrastructure, they can. They do not need a $35-billion backstop from taxpayers. The question is who is actually going to run this. The Liberals say it will not be elected officials or public servants. Will investment bankers have the use of $35 billion in tax dollars to guarantee the profits of other investment bankers? Self-serving insiders get the reward, taxpayers get the risk. How will the government ensure that this scheme does not become a $35-billion, taxpayer-backed, self-licking ice cream cone?
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Mr. Speaker, the government is proposing to invest $22 billion in green infrastructure, including interprovincial transmission lines that it claims will reduce our dependence on coal.That description seems to have been written with Muskrat Falls in mind, a project that has been cobbled together to compete with Hydro-Québec.In addition to guaranteeing loans for this project, is the government also planning to provide direct funding for the disaster that is Muskrat Falls?
Mr. Speaker, in French or in English, zero deficit.Zero deficit, it is the same thing.However, the Liberals are unable to say that here in French or in English.This government has been elected on the platform that it will have a balanced budget in 2019, but today it is no longer the case.My question is quite simple, in French or in English: Give Canadians a date when Canada will get back to zero deficit.
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' Wall Street and Bay Street cronies are being ushered up to the trough.The government is putting BlackRock in charge of infrastructure privatization and infrastructure revenue. The government also asked Crédit Suisse, an investment firm that buys infrastructure, to advise it on whether it should privatize our airports. Now we know that Morgan Stanley, which was involved in the 2008 financial crisis, is advising the Canadian government on whether it should privatize ports. Not even Stephen Harper went that far.Where in the Liberals' platform is their promise to privatize infrastructure?
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Mr. Speaker, members will recall that we asked the Minister of Finance five times when he will balance the budget. The minister was never able to tell us when there will be a zero deficit in Canada.Today, the parliamentary budget officer took the government to task. In his report, the parliamentary budget officer stated that the government does not have a timeline for balancing the budget. Can the minister answer a very simple question? When will Canada again have a balanced budget?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Mr. Speaker, the residents in my riding of CowichanMalahatLangford are calling on the government to stop the dumping of contaminated soil from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to Shawnigan Lake.This contamination is seeping into the watershed, threatening aquatic life and drinking water for an entire community. The community was never consulted and never approved it. Will the Minister of National Defence stop the dumping of this contaminated soil in this area and will the government protect Shawnigan Lake, which provides drinking water for thousands of local residents?
Mr. Speaker, imagine a situation where a taxpayer who was unable to make his mortgage payments went to the bank and was given a payment holiday and a generous increase on his line of credit. That would never happen. However, that is what the government is doing with Newfoundland and Labrador, which has defaulted on its $266-million loan. The Liberals are extending deadlines and adding $2.9 billion to the previous $6.4-billion loan guarantee for Muskrat Falls.Will this government finally stop using Quebeckers' money to fund unfair competition against Hydro-Québec?