Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, our government recognizes Canadian steel producers to be world-class. That is why we are engaged on this file. It is very important to our manufacturing sector and our innovation agenda going forward.The member knows the proceedings are still before the courts, but I hope for a fair and successful resolution. We are committed to the region and to the sector. We are very much engaged and we are working very closely with the member for Hamilton EastStoney Creek, the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas, and the member for Burlington. We will continue to work on this file, work with the steelworkers, and work with the company to find a good solution.
In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have put in measures that will help Canadians along all sectors of the income stream. For that family, the $45,000 that the hon. member mentioned, if it has children, that family is significantly better off. It is better of in the time when it is raising its children, being able to pay for the things it needs in its family life on a day-to-day basis.We will continue to focus on how we can help middle-class Canadians and on how we can help families to raise their children. That is the mission we are on in this government.
Mr. Speaker, we were very pleased this morning that the cannabis task force presented its report. We look forward to reviewing its recommendations in full detail. We know this task force was well led by the Hon. Anne McLellan, that the experts on the task force heard from Canadians across the country, including those who understood the evidence around all of the questions that were put to this group. We look forward to introducing legislation in the spring, which will legalize, regulate, and restrict access to cannabis.
Mr. Speaker, we have always said that we would listen to all Canadians across the country, and we promised that we would work on issues that are important to them. When it comes time to make decisions, we are guided by a very important principle: the best interests of middle-class Canadians.That is the approach that we took when we reduced taxes for the middle class, when we created the Canada child benefit, and when we enhanced the Canada pension plan. We are going to continue to work for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Trudeau Foundation is an independent foundation established in the memory of my father, with which I ceased to have any engagement shortly after having become leader of the Liberal Party. It is an excellent foundation that does good work
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals always say just trust us, but Canadians are not buying it. Canadians deserve to know where our troops are being sent, what drugs they will be prescribed while they are there, what the exit strategy is, and how this mission is in Canada's national interest. Before sending their troops to Mali, the Dutch government outlined this important information to its parliament. This is exactly the type of information the Liberals demanded when they were in opposition.When will the minister do the right thing and be honest with Canadians about this mission?
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important file. That is why I am working with my colleagues from Manitoba. I visited Churchill. I had an opportunity to meet with the northern delegation and have a town hall session with members of the community to hear their concerns, and put forward a plan going forward. That plan includes $4.6 million for regional economic development. We are focusing on tourism, Arctic research. We are looking at ways to diversify the economy, create jobs and opportunities. Churchill is important for the north and it is important for Canada. Our government is committed to that region.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go across the country I hear from Canadians who are pleased that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower them on the middle class. They are pleased to hear that we have stopped sending child benefit cheques to the wealthiest families so we can do more for the families who need it. That approach is going to lift 40% of kids living in poverty out of poverty. It will raise hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty.That is our priority. That is what we talk about wherever we go.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Vancouver Centre for her outstanding advocacy on this very issue.We have introduced an approach to drug policy in this country that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. We recently held an opioid summit and conference, at which 42 organizations made commitments as to what they were going to do to address this very crisis. Yesterday, I was very pleased to introduce the Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will put control of that strategy into the hands of the minister of health, where it belongs. We will add harm reduction as a pillar into our response, and we will make sure that Canadians
Mr. Speaker, consumers in my riding and across Quebec and Canada want to be properly protected.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going to ask the Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to engage with stakeholders and his provincial and territorial counterparts in order to examine and assess best practices in consumer protection.Could the minister explain to the House the reason for that decision?
Mr. Speaker, we would like to be very clear in the House. We first introduced a reduction in taxes on middle-class Canadians. That was an important first measure. Then we moved forward to help nine out of 10 families with children with, on average, $2,300 more money, without paying taxes on that.We are ensuring that our tax system is efficient, that it is fair and that Canadians can understand it. We will move forward with fair measures that will ensure middle-class Canadians are doing better in future than they are doing today.
Mr. Speaker, let me read what the Liberals have said about cash for access fundraising: at events like this, government business is not discussed, from his minister; any individual who wishes to initiate a policy discussion is immediately redirected to instead make an appointment, from the Liberal Party; and finally, from himself, [I] listen broadly...and [I] make the right decisions based on what's best for Canada.One of these quotes is not like the others. Can the Prime Minister tell us who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, throughout the session, the government has provided us with a myriad of opportunities to criticize its $1,500 cocktail parties offering privileged access to the Prime Minister.In the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Jean-Pierre Kingsley proposed returning to the per-vote subsidy system of party financing in order to make things fair. The Bloc Québécois introduced a bill that would do just that. It is a balanced bill that eliminates sectoral financing and the undue influence of major donors.What is the government going to do? Will it play back its prerecorded message about having the strictest rules or will it restore the per-vote subsidy system of party financing?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Prime Minister has changed his talking points about following the rules, after what he said yesterday.Let me remind the Prime Minister that on the day he was sworn in, he said that he was committed to the highest ethical standards. Now that has become a joke.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What happened? When did money become more important than the integrity of his office?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians well know that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, which, quite frankly, the Conservative Party voted against to protect its friends.The fact is that raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, ending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who need it, are things this government is focused on doing. This is what we will continue to make our priority.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House to acknowledge receipt of the task force report, the substantive amount of work that it did, and also to acknowledge my parliamentary secretary, the member for Scarborough Southwest, for his work. We look forward to reviewing the report in a comprehensive manner, with my colleagues from public safety and health, to ensure that we introduce legislation in the spring of 2017 to legalize, strictly regulate, and restrict access of marijuana.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows full well that the rules governing political financing are among the strictest in the country. We will continue to follow the rules. The Chief Electoral Officer also said that Canada's political financing laws are among the most advanced and strict and transparent in the world.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Ottawa South for his hard work in the region and for promoting innovation. As the member knows, the investment at the University of Ottawa is part of an overall $2 billion allocation that we have for strategic investments for our universities and colleges, which will leverage, with the provinces, territories, and institutions, $4.8 billion. This is about innovation. Innovation is about better jobs, better opportunities, better living standards, and a better future for our children and grandchildren. As the Prime Minister says, better is always possible.
Mr. Speaker, as an independent foundation with which I have no involvement, the Trudeau Foundation does good work to advance the cause of the social sciences and humanities in a non-partisan way.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister finally came clean yesterday. I now encourage him to come clean on something else, since the Prime Minister is so imaginative when it comes to finding new ways to tax Canadian workers.He literally created a new charge on Canadians' pension plans. He also created the new Liberal carbon tax, the Liberal health insurance tax, and the Liberal dental care tax. The Prime Minister really is coming up with all kinds of creative ways to impose more tax on Canadians.Is the Prime Minister ready to invent a tax on broken promises?
Mr. Speaker, we are putting thoughtful consideration into what the Senate and the opposition have to say about this important mission.My hon. colleague will understand that I cannot announce ahead of time something that the government will announce in due course. However, we will do so with maximum transparency, since this is an important decision that will honour Canada's role in global peacekeeping efforts.
Mr. Speaker, it seems that just watch me has become just trust me; and on this, Canadians just do not.I am sure that the Prime Minister had no intention of writing a piece of fiction when he drafted his so-called new ethics rules for the government. These rules were supposed to be solid, rules that the Liberal government was meant to follow, and we want to help with that. We want to know if the Prime Minister will support the NDP bill to give teeth to his rules?
Mr. Speaker, what every member of our government will say is, yes, we are engaging with Canadians. We are listening to Canadians, and everywhere we go we will tell Canadians that we are working hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them. That is why we lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we increased taxes on the 1% of wealthiest Canadians. That is why we are supporting and helping families with children that need it the most; and we will continue to do the good work we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, as Canadians well know, this government listens to all Canadians in different contexts; but the fact is that one of the things we do is say the same things regardless of the context we are in. We point out that we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1%, so we could lower them for the middle class. We point out that we have stopped sending Canada child benefits to wealthy families, so that we can do more for the families who need it, which will reduce child poverty by 40% and lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Those are priorities, and we talk about them in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his very important work on this matter. He certainly knows that autism spectrum disorder has a significant and lifelong impact on individuals and their families. We have made significant investments in this area, for instance, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The government has invested more than $27 million on direct research related to autism in the last five years.We are committed to working with all partners to help Canadians with disabilities to participate in our society, including work with the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance. They bring the perspective of those living with autism and their families. I have received the proposal indicated by the member, to establish a Canadian
Mr. Speaker, the fall session is winding down and that is the only good news for the Liberal government, because it has been a tough road. The Liberals are already embroiled in scandal and have been notably absent from files that are important to Quebeckers.Do members hear that? Let's listen closely.That is the sound of silence coming from the 40 Liberal members from Quebec.Nothing for Bombardier. Nothing for the forestry. Nothing for SMEs. Peanuts for the cheese factories, and we have yet to hear anything about public transit. What exactly are the Liberal members from Quebec doing? Where are they hiding?
Mr. Speaker, what the member clearly does not understand is that the government is committed to working with Canadians. Our government is committed to engaging and listening to Canadians. When our government makes decisions, there is only one thing we consider: what is in the best interest of middle-class Canadians. Those are the people we will continue to work for. Those are the people we work very hard for, and I encourage all members of this place: let us work harder together.
Mr. Speaker, there is no decision that bears more gravity than putting Canadian troops in harm's way. It is a Canadian tradition that such a decision is debated and voted on in the House. It is not only Canadian tradition; it is what every parliamentary democracy does. The Dutch government tabled a 14-page report in its parliament detailing the duration and size of its value mission, its goals, risks, costs, and the rules of engagement.Will the Liberals submit their proposed UN mission to Parliament for a full debate and vote before committing our troops to the African mission?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that, no matter where I am or who I am speaking to, I always talk about our challenge, which is creating growth for the middle class, I talk about our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them for the middle class, and I talk about the fact that we are no longer sending child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families that actually need it.We are always talking about our priority, which is to create growth for the middle class. That is what motivates us every day.
Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly two months since the House passed a motion to bring Yazidi women and girls to Canada. Today, the European Parliament honoured Nadia Murad for her work on this particular issue. After countless hours of committee study and further follow-up, the government has still not produced a number as to how many of these women it is willing to bring to Canada. NGOs and departments are waiting for this information.Therefore, I have a very simple question that I hope the minister will answer prior to Christmas break. I hope he will do it right now. How many Yazidi women and girls is the government going to bring to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, we are the government that reduced taxes for the middle class. That is the first thing we did.We also introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families by leaving more money in their pockets. The other parties were against that; they were against those cuts and against the Canada child benefit. We are confident that our measures are going to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was very pleased to participate in an announcement at the University of Ottawa, where our government committed over $51 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art science and technology complex. This will be a multi-disciplinary innovation hub that will support the entrepreneurship activities of students and researchers. Can the minister please update the House on how investments such as this at the University of Ottawa are supporting economic growth, spurring innovation, and creating jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the member is very well aware that the fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country. The rules state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian parties. We will continue to follow the rules. When one follows the rules, there is no conflict of interest.
Mr. Speaker, far from a prerecorded message, these are facts that I am sharing with members of the House and Canadians.Our government will continue to consult and engage with Canadians so that we can respond to the real challenges they are facing.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear since the very beginning that our plan to control and regulate the sale of cannabis has two goals. One goal is to keep it out of the hands of our kids. Right now, kids have easy access to cannabis across this country; we need to change that. The second goal is to remove the source of significant revenue to criminal organizations and street gangs who benefit from the illicit trade of cannabis.Those are our priorities. That is what we are focused on. Until we change the laws, the laws stand.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that I say the same thing in any given context. I am always talking about our priority of creating growth for the middle class, our priority of raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we could lower them on the middle class, and that we are ending the sending of child benefit cheques to wealthy families so we can give more to the families who actually need them. Canadians know that we are focused on creating growth for the middle class and we always follow the rules.
Mr. Speaker, the only full-time position they have created since coming to power is probably the one held by the person responsible for rewriting all of their messaging since yesterday because they completely changed their response.When one is in government, one must handle state affairs with utmost dignity. I know that the Prime Minister wants to do that, but I am told that yesterday, the government admitted to discussing state business during these events. Meeting people and talking to them is one thing, but getting them to pay $1,500 for the privilege is an ethical problem. This has to stop, and the government has to stop talking government business during party activities.
Mr. Speaker, today is one of those days when Liberals are trying to think up new ways to tax Canadians. By that, I mean a day ending in the letter y.That has Canadians asking why. Why is the Liberal innovation agenda now being led by a new tax on hard-pressed middle-class Canadians for their Internet use? Last week it was a carbon tax on everything. This comes after tax hikes on textbooks, children's sports, music lessons, income taxes, and more.Why do the Liberals now want to tax Canadians more just to use the Internet? Why is their Christmas gift to Canadians just sacks full of tax?
Mr. Speaker, consumer protection was a key component of our plan to support the middle class and promote economic growth. That being said, we have listened to Quebeckers' concerns about their level of protection. That is why I asked the leader of the government in the Senate to remove division 5 of Bill C-29 so that we can reintroduce it following consultations on how to maintain a comprehensive and effective federal financial consumer protection framework.
Mr. Speaker, in our balanced budget of 2015, Prime Minister Harper and finance minister Joe Oliver established an expert working group tasked with the creation of a Canadian autism partnership to support those living with autism, their families, and caregivers. The current leader of the opposition, who was then health minister, officially launched the working group that summer. This world-leading team of Canadians has completed its work and reported back to the Liberal health minister with a business plan and a request for support Can Canadians living with autism and their families count on the minister's support for this important initiative?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his restraint.I want to be very clear that the 40 MPs from Quebec, the Prime Minister, six ministers, and 33 members, are here to advance the interests of Quebec. That is what we have been doing since day one and that is what we will continue to do until the end.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance urged me to read the provisions of Bill C-29. He said: He might want to know what he is talking about before asking a question. I can tell him very clearly that, in Marcotte, the Supreme Court asked us to clarify consumer protection provisions. I read the Marcotte ruling. The court does not call on the federal government to do anything; rather, it requires the banks to respect Quebec and Quebec laws. In fact
Mr. Speaker, by middle-class tax cut, he means they gave $800 in tax relief to someone earning $150,000 a year, like a Liberal MP, and zero to someone earning $45,000 a year. Now that same person has to pay Liberal carbon taxes, Liberal payroll taxes. Those carbon taxes will raise the price of the very goods on which the lowest income people need to spend a disproportionately large amount of their income.Why is the government so determined to hurt most those with the least?
Mr. Speaker, indigenous communities in northern Alberta are calling for action on toxic contamination of their traditional foods. Repeated studies have revealed that rising levels of toxins emitted by oil sands operations are contaminating the Athabasca River and Wood Buffalo National Park, despite the mandatory duty of the federal health minister to act on evidence that toxins may impact health. All that the previous Conservative government did was initiate attacks on a brave doctor who revealed his concerns. Will the current health minister finally act?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that Canada is facing a serious public health crisis and the hundreds of Canadians who have had accidental overdose deaths this year. We were pleased yesterday to introduce the new Canadian drugs and substances strategy, which will save the lives of Canadians. It will take a harm reduction approach to this serious public health problem. We will recognize the wisdom of the Supreme Court, which gave us guidance as to the factors that had to be taken into consideration, including making sure that communities were appropriately consulted on these matters.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Internet is a key part of our innovation agenda that will focus on Canadian middle-class families, that will focus on the rural and urban digital divide, and that will focus on creating jobs and opportunities from coast to coast to coast.We recognize that innovation is the key engine of our growth, and we are going to remain focused on investing in people, new technologies, and companies, because that is what is good for the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, after months of denials, the Prime Minister finally admitted what everyone knows to be true, that he discusses government business at his Liberal cash for access fundraisers. Now that he has admitted to breaking the rules, will his ministers do the same? Will the justice minister tell us what government business she discussed with lawyers at the fundraiser last April? Maybe the finance minister can tell us what fiscal policy he discussed with bankers at the Liberal cash for access event in August. Can they please all get their stories straight, and can they please admit they all broke the rules?
Mr. Speaker, the government could take a lesson from the Dutch before sending our soldiers into theatre in the most dangerous UN mission on the planet.More than 106 peacekeepers have been killed in Mali. The Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence is calling on the government to clearly define the size of the mission, its goals, the risks involved, the costs, and the rules of engagement, and to ensure that it has multi-party support, before it deploys any troops. Will the Liberal government follow the Senate's wise recommendations?
Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a public health crisis of tragic proportion. In B.C. alone there were 700 deaths this year from fentanyl-laced opioids, and 1,100 across the country. In B.C. and Alberta, thousands are treated, near death, in emergency rooms. Most affected are IV-drug users, youth, those who use recreational drugs, and first responders who are at risk from this high-potency fentanyl.Can the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing now to save lives, and what tools and resources will she employ to prevent more deaths?
Mr. Speaker, we understand how difficult the situation is for many workers across this country and, indeed, the workers at the Stelco plant. That is why we are focused on working with them to try to develop solutions. We are engaged, we are aware of this challenge, and it is one that we are working with them on.
Mr. Speaker, after weeks of questions, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally admitted that he had discussed government business at fundraising events. Every time the Prime Minister accepts a $1,500 donation for his party, he engages in behaviour that is unworthy of the position of Prime Minister.The Prime Minister should be above all that and should never give the impression that people can buy favours from the government. Is the Prime Minister aware of the impact this has and will he stop behaving this way?
Mr. Speaker, we are prepared for any eventuality and we will continue to work with the Canadian forestry industry. The Minister of International Trade and I had a very productive meeting with our Quebec counterparts last week, and we will to continue to work with them and our provincial and territorial colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, no one actually believes the Prime Minister on this issue anymore.Let us talk about priorities, because how a prime minister spends his or her time says a lot about the person. By attending countless cash for access fundraising events for the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is showing his true priorities to Canadians and is setting a low standard for the people around him. Canadians now think the Prime Minister can be bought, and he has already done enough damage to his office.When is the Prime Minister going to stop this cash for access fundraising? Today?
Mr. Speaker, our democracy is founded on the principle that people's voices matter. They get to have a say. The need to consult and gain social licence is something about which the Liberals constantly boast. However, yesterday the health minister announced that the Liberals were gutting the community consultation requirements when it came to heroin injection sites.Families deserve to have a voice. Schools deserve to have a voice. Small businesses deserve to have a voice. Why have the Liberals silenced the voice of local communities when it comes to implementing safe injection sites?
Mr. Speaker, according to the minister of pipelines, the energy east assessment can resume once three new commissioners are appointed to the National Energy Board, the NEB.What about the fact that the recusal of former board members undermined the process, that the Prime Minister promised the NEB a new process, that he approved Kinder Morgan with Stephen Harper's flawed process, and that he supports energy east? Quebeckers deserve better than the 40 Liberal MPs who have forgotten Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember. Why does the minister not ask the Prime Minister to keep his promises?
Mr. Speaker, steel dumping is a major concern for Canada. The minister is working with her colleagues, the ministers of Finance and Innovation, to support Canadian jobs and competitiveness. The minister met with the CEOs of Canada's steel companies, through the Canadian Steel Producers Association, in early June to discuss their concern. She has met with workers. She has also worked on the issue while in Europe this month. As chair of the Canada-U.S. committee in cabinet, the minister is working with our American counterparts to address the issue of over capacity.
Mr. Speaker, wherever I go and whomever I talk to, I always say the same thing, that our priority is to create growth for the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% so we can lower taxes for the middle class, so that we can send Canada child benefits to families who need it and stop sending them to wealthy families. Those are our priorities and that is what we have been working on for the past year. That is what we talk about in every given context.
Mr. Speaker, the reason we deploy peacekeepers is that peace is not secure. We do not go to places that are peaceful. We go to places were peace is in jeopardy and must be kept with courage and resolve, as Canada has always done. We will live up to our history and our role as international peacekeepers.
Mr. Speaker, the problem with saying that he listens but is not influenced is that it reminds people of someone who said that he smoked pot and did not inhale. Nobody believes it.Speaking of that, to get elected, the Prime Minister loved to say that the war on drugs is not working; but today's Liberal cannabis report says nothing about decriminalizing possession. Before he can say that his number one priority is to protect young Canadians, can the Prime Minister tell us how handing out criminal convictions and criminal records to young Canadians is somehow supposed to protect them?
Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the rules, Canada's political finance rules are clear: foreign powers cannot donate or buy access. But foreign donors from China have now been exposed as using the Trudeau Foundation as a back channel way to make donations and gain influence with the Prime Minister. Everybody knows they are not writing these cheques out of the goodness of their hearts, because they have only started doing it since that member became the Prime Minister to buy access to him.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the Trudeau Foundation to stop this practice immediately?
Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent for a very urgent motion. I think all members of the House know that the opioid crisis is a national health emergency taking the lives of Canadians on a daily basis. Although it has taken a year, the government has tabled a bill that moves us in the right direction by, among other things, repealing the previous government's Bill C-2. The NDP believes there is a critical and irrefutable need to get this bill passed as soon as possible. It will save lives. Therefore, I am asking for unanimous consent for the following motion. I move that, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-37, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related amendments to other acts shall be deemed to have been read a second time and referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, some of the marijuana task force recommendations directly contradict the Prime Minister's claims about keeping pot out of the hands of young people. The task force recommended a legal age of 18 to buy marijuana. This goes against the Canadian Medical Association's recommended age limit of 21, and the scientific evidence that marijuana use can have serious effects on the brain up to the age of 25.Are the Liberals going to make a political decision or an evidence-based decision?
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill in the House to clean up political party financing. It restores public funding and lowers the contribution limit. This goes beyond ethics. It is about trust in democracy. Democracy loses when there is an appearance of cronyism with the elite and it also loses when the public is under the impression that major donors are controlling their government.The public wants to know: Will the government vote in favour of our bill, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I think if you check the record, you will find I did no such thing. The Liberal caucus knows
Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that there is no minister by that name in this House.
Mr. Speaker, the answer that the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave proves the need for a debate and a vote before we send our soldiers into the mess in Mali to keep a non-existent peace. Before deploying troops, the Netherlands ensures that there is a national consensus about the mission. No consensus, no mission. In the Netherlands, the government is open and transparent about its troops' participation in missions. A letter detailing all of the finer points of the mission is sent to Parliament, and there is a debate.Will the Liberals pledge to be just as transparent?
No, no, that's all talk. You're not doing it.
Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the report on the legalization of marijuana recommends authorizing personal cultivation at home.Can a minister explain to us how the government plans to prevent children from having access to marijuana if people can grow it at home? Who is going to police that, the municipalities, provincial governments, the federal government, or the police?Since the report was released, we have been seeing red flags all over the place. Is anyone over on that side of the House finally going to give us some answers to these questions?
Certainly, Mr. Speaker, the practice of this government is to always be open and frank with Canadians. On such a matter of this importance, my colleague can be assured that we will communicate to Canadians in the proper way and we will communicate to the House with a very open mind and with a lot of transparency. This is a very serious decision that we need to take to honour Canada's history in the fight for peace everywhere in the world.
Mr. Speaker, during the last election, the Prime Minister promised that, if elected, he would help protect the workers and pensioners of insolvent U.S. Steel. Yet here we are in the midst of a historic purchase agreement of U.S. Steel, where pension and benefits cuts are on the line, and the Prime Minister has been missing in action. What does the Prime Minister intend to do for a retired Stelco worker who spent 40 years at a blast furnace and stands to lose his health benefits?
Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, Rules of Order and Decorum in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): refer to the presence or absence of specific members. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians know very well that this government is working very hard for middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them.We will continue to engage and listen to Canadians. That is why we are consulting with them. That is the work we will continue to do when we are making decisions, because we know that we need to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.
Mr. Speaker, Postmedia revealed this week that the government was considering a new tax on health and dental plans that could hit 13.5 million hard-working Canadians. Such a tax might cause employers to drop the plans altogether, making it impossible for middle-class families to see a dentist or a psychologist. Only the super-rich, those who can afford Liberal fundraisers, would have that luxury.Is this government so broke that it needs to tax Canadians out of their health plans?
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister really knows what is going on with U.S. Steel from the answer he gave earlier. During the campaign, the Liberals promised U.S. Steel employees and retirees that employers must honour commitments and pensioners must be included in any consultation and planning process. Today, Hamilton steelworkers are forced to come to Ottawa to once again ask the government to come to the table. The impending sale of U.S. Steel gives no guarantees that pensions, health benefits, and wages will be protected. Hamiltonians are asking, what is wrong with the government?With Hamilton steelworkers in the room, why is the government refusing to help the 20,000-plus who stand to be hurt by this deal?
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that my colleague has said that are completely true. It is a very serious decision. The government is considering it very seriously. We are working with our allies to see in which way Canada will fulfill its responsibility for peace in the world. We are also considering in which way we will engage Parliament about it.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard said: ...our colleague knows very well that at events like this, government business is not discussed. We all know now that this is completely false. Was the fisheries minister told by the Prime Minister to mislead Canadians? How long will Liberal ministers go along with the Prime Minister's corrupt and deceptive behaviour?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her advocacy on this issue.We are working together, the health minister and I, in addressing concerns in relation to toxins. We take this file very seriously and will continue to act.
Mr. Speaker, what happened yesterday was not just disappointing for Canadians. It was embarrassing for the Prime Minister. He actually admitted to reporters to being illegally lobbied at fundraisers for the Liberal Party of Canada, and Canadians had to watch him admit to behaviour that brings disrepute to his office. They also saw the message that he was sending, that the rules do not apply to him.Does the Prime Minister understand that he is not above the law, that he especially is not above the law, and that he should end these cash for access fundraisers?
Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a disappointing day for Canadians. They saw their Prime Minister brag about being the target of illegal lobbying activities at Liberal Party fundraisers. Canadians watched him admit to behaviour that is unworthy of his position. They heard the message he was sending: the rules do not apply to him. Does the Prime Minister realize that he is not above the law?Will he finally put an end to his fundraising activities involving privileged access?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is not there for Quebec.There is no softwood lumber agreement and no plan B. Our workers are going to pay the price as plants close, jobs are lost, and the regional economy weakens.The Government of Quebec is grabbing the bull by the horns and announcing loan guarantees. The federal government should take its responsibilities seriously once and for all.Quebec already has a plan B. Is the minister waiting for hell to freeze over?
Mr. Speaker, again, no answer from Liberals for working Canadians. When will the government start standing up for Canadian steel jobs? China is unfairly dumping steel at prices that undercut and hurt Canadian producers. Our steel industry is urging the government to strengthen Canada's trade remedy rules. Instead, the Liberals are considering giving China market economy status, which will make it even harder for our steel producers to compete.Why are the Liberals letting China off the hook and when will the government get serious about tackling unfair steel dumping?
Mr. Speaker, we have been working very actively on a two-part strategy. We will bring Yazidi people, women and girls, from Turkey and Lebanon. We have also sent groups of officials into Iraq to consider, and we will bring them from that country as well. The member should understand this is an extremely dangerous part of the world, and so we cannot release the details of our plan, but we are committed to do it and to do it on time.
Mr. Speaker, today on the Hill we are joined by laid off port workers who came all the way from Churchill to fight for our port. The closure of the port is devastating for Churchill and for our north. What is the Liberal record? The Liberals privatized it and are doing nothing to re-open it.This is about standing up for our country. When will the Prime Minister stand up to the American billionaire who is holding Churchill and our north for ransom. When will he stand up for Churchill, for our north and for Canada?