Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
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Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
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Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?
Mr. Speaker, the rights of indigenous people need to be respected. That is the government's position. That is why Canada shared a document concerning a chapter on indigenous people with the United States and Mexico. We continue to work with them on this important issue. Promoting a chapter on indigenous people in a trade agreement is a first for Canada, and we are proud to work in this direction.
Mr. Speaker, our government believes it is very important that Canadians receive the benefits and services they deserve and need. We have put in place since budget 2016 measures that are already generating significant benefits for employment insurance recipients, for instance. The rate at which Canadians are now able to connect through the call centre has increased from 29% to 82% in less than 18 months. We have a lot of work to do and will continue to do it.
Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for my hon. colleague's question.The Atlantic immigration pilot program is a tremendous opportunity to attract skilled newcomers and their families to Atlantic Canada, and represents a new approach to immigration. This one-of-a-kind program works with employers to settle and integrate not only the skilled immigrants, but also their families, and will now be complemented by a specialized team at IRCC that will work with employers to make sure they work through the immigration process. Our government is very much committed to implementing real solutions through the Atlantic growth strategy to strengthen the Atlantic Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has worked from the beginning, right after the election, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is in full compliance with the rules governing us in this House and to make sure he follows all of the recommendations she puts forward. He has done so, namely, he has put up a conflict of interest wall, which she recommended. This is still up yesterday, and I would like to remind the member that the minister has announced he would go even further and place his assets in a blind trust, and divest himself of all the shares he and his family own in Morneau Shepell. This is a man of great integrity who has dedicated his last two years to public service, with great results for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, no relationship is more important to the Government of Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. Over the past year, our government has held more than 200 meetings with indigenous people across the country about environmental assessment. We have held week weekly technical meetings between federal officials and Assembly of First Nations' staff. It has been a very useful means to exchange perspectives and understand the best way to move forward. We certainly invite the Assembly of First Nations to continue to be part of this process. We are working very hard with indigenous peoples, with provinces, with civil society, and with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that supports reconciliation, protection of the environment, and that ensures that good projects
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We believe it is important to have an employment insurance system that provides income security to families, many of whom live in very difficult conditions, and that helps people transition to new jobs.In April 2016, we implemented very important measures that reversed the previous government's ill-advised, inappropriate changes, which did not work for the community. We have done a much better job since April 2016. We know that we can do even better, and we are eager to get started.
Mr. Speaker, we have all the trust in the Ethics Commissioner to set the right path forward for parliamentarians and to provide good recommendations. This minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner from the very beginning to make sure he is in full compliance with the rules and that he follows her recommendations, which he has done. Yesterday, as I mentioned, he announced that he would go even further to avoid the distractions that have resulted and to keep focusing on the real work he has been doing for Canadians for the last two years: steering our economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth and prosperity for all.
Mr. Speaker, every year, the families of seasonal workers in the Lac-Saint-Jean region and the entire Quebec forestry industry spend as many as 17 weeks living in poverty because employment insurance is out of touch with our reality.There have been pilot projects to extend the benefit period for oil-producing regions, but not for Quebec. The Conservatives did away with pilot projects. Will the Liberal government reinstate pilot projects to extend benefits for Quebec's seasonal workers?
Mr. Speaker, this week indigenous leaders sent a letter to the Prime Minister after being left out of developing new environmental legislation. They say the Liberals are failing to make good on their commitments to work in partnership with indigenous people. This is not how to establish a nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. In my northern riding of DesnethéMissinippiChurchill River, the effects of climate change are felt every day. When will the Liberals work with indigenous people to develop new environmental legislation?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that the Minister of Finance has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed all her recommendations, namely to set up a conflict of interest wall, and yesterday he announced that he would go even further. If he wants to talk about the last two years of the finance minister, I would like to respectfully remind the member that two years ago, we were debating whether the Canadian economy was in or heading into a recession. Fast forward two years, and the finance minister has steered the Canadian economy back in the right direction, the direction of growth, prosperity, but most importantly, prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned, the finance minister, immediately after the election, started working with the Ethics Commissioner in full transparency, disclosing his assets, making sure that he was following all directives and making sure that he was in conformity with the laws that govern us in this House. Yesterday he announced that he would go even further, that he would put his assets in a blind trust, that he would divest himself of shares in Morneau Shepell to avoid the distraction and to make sure that we can continue the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians. He talks about the middle class. There is not a minister of finance who has more strongly supported the middle class than this minister, who has reduced child poverty by 40% with the Canada child benefit, who has been confident in our economy, investing in infrastructure, who has grown this economy at a fast rate.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her continued advocacy on the environment. We understand that we need to rebuild trust in our environmental assessment system, that we need to make sure that the environment and the economy go together. That is why we are working extraordinarily hard with provinces, with indigenous peoples, with civil society, with business to ensure that we have a world-class environmental assessment system that protects the environment, supports reconciliation, and ensures that good projects go ahead in a timely way with regulatory certainty.
Mr. Speaker, the Day & Ross transportation group and Tisdale Trucking, both of which are located in my riding of TobiqueMactaquac, recently appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to testify about immigration to Atlantic Canada. Our government has launched a pilot program to attract and retain immigrants and international graduates in Atlantic Canada.This unique employer-driven initiative focuses on facilitating successful long-term integration and retention by providing newcomers with a job offer and an individualized settlement plan. Could the Minister of Immigration update the House on the ways the government can further support employers through this new pilot program?
Mr. Speaker, every parliamentarian, including ministers, is expected to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure full compliance with the laws and rules that govern us in the House. That is exactly what the Minister of Finance has been doing from day one. In a letter to the minister made public yesterday, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner made it clear that the minister is in compliance with the law and she told him to put a conflict of interest screen in place, which he has done from the start and continues to do. The screen is public knowledge.Yesterday, the minister went above and beyond what was expected of him when he announced proposed measures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest. He is a man of great integrity who has been doing a great job serving Canadians for two years.
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is by no means throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus. He is actually respecting everything the Ethics Commissioner has told him to do and working with her to make sure that not only is he respecting the rules but he is going above and beyond the rules that govern us in the House.The finance minister will continue his work with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that he is forthcoming and transparent with the Ethics Commissioner, who safeguards the integrity of the House.
Mr. Speaker, the indigenous people of Canada, Mexico and the United States did not have much of a say in the initial NAFTA negotiations.The government made a commitment to include a chapter on the rights of indigenous people in their proposals. The concern, however, is that, in light of the Americans' demands, their fundamental rights will be ignored once again.Will the government commit to pursuing a chapter on indigenous rights during the NAFTA renegotiations?
Mr. Speaker, if the minister thought it was appropriate to own $20 million in shares in a company he regulates, why did he suggest to the media, to his caucus, and to Morneau Shepell that he had put it all in a blind trust? It reminds us of the offshore company in France, which he broke the law in failing to report to the Ethics Commissioner from the start. The minister always does the right thing after he is caught doing exactly the opposite. When will the minister reveal all the investments he has in his nine numbered companies and trust funds across the country?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA so that it will have right tools to crack down on tax evaders. Our plan is already producing results. We are on track to recover $25 billion from our efforts against tax evasion and avoidance since coming to office. More work is under way.That is what Canadians expect from the government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.
Mr. Speaker, working for veterans is not just a matter of putting together beautiful public policy, it is a matter of reaching out, giving a hand, and listening. A year ago, there was a veteran on a hunger strike on the Hill. The minister refused to go and meet him. Today, the Desmond family is on the Hill. They need the minister's compassion. Will he go and meet them today, right now, after QP in a few minutes?
Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving weekend, a CRA employee told The Globe and Mail that the government was going to tax employee discounts. Then, after a full day of confused and contradictory messages from the Liberals, the minister backtracked and threw her own bureaucrats under the bus. The council of retailers knew this was coming and warned the finance committee in September.Why is the minister trying to tax the discounts of retail and restaurant workers and then blaming it all on her bureaucrats?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that, immediately after he was elected, the Minister of Finance contacted the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was in full compliance with the rules that govern all of us here in the House. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended that he establish a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This measure is public and is still in place.Yesterday, the Minister of Finance went the extra mile and announced that he would put his assets in a blind trust and that he would sell his shares in Morneau Shepell. I think that is important to remember. The Minister of Finance has a lot of integrity and has been dedicated to serving the public for two years. We can be proud of his results, which are working for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance, as I mentioned, has always followed all the directives of the Ethics Commissioner, namely, to set up a conflict of interest wall. Yesterday, in a letter made public from the Ethics Commissioner to the Minister of Finance when he entered office, she said about that conflict of interest wall that it would ensure the integrity and impartiality and maintain the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the Minister of Finance.It's important to mention that the Ethics Commissioner is safeguarding ethics and conflicts of interest here to make sure that they are avoided and perception is avoided. The minister has always followed her directives, but he announced yesterday he would go above and beyond to avoid the distractions that this is causing.
Mr. Speaker, I am fascinated by the parliamentary secretary's ability to keep standing up for his Minister of Finance.Canadians have learned that the Minister of Finance is in a direct conflict of interest. To make matters worse, the media reported this week that his own company has an $8-million contract with the Bank of Canada for pension services. It is reported that the finance minister has received more than $65,000 a month in dividends from own company since becoming an MP. No wonder people are cynical about politicians.Is the minister aware that he is in a direct conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that at all times since his election the Minister of Finance has acted in compliance with the rules, the laws, and the recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.What is more, yesterday he announced that we would go one step further, in the spirit of transparency, in order to continue his work for Canadians, by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell.He is a man of great integrity who has devoted the past two years of his life to public service, and he is doing a fantastic job.
Mr. Speaker, Diabetes Canada is complaining that the Canada Revenue Agency is now rejecting people with diabetes from receiving the disability tax credit because their disability does not occupy more than 14 hours of their time in a week. People with type 1 diabetes have to perform 600 steps for their treatment each day. The Liberals are now increasing taxes on disabled people. Is there anything the Liberal government will not tax, other than the Prime Minister's family fortunes and the finance minister's many corporations?
Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?
Mr. Speaker, more and more NanaimoLadysmith constituents face blocks getting the government services they need. My office is flooded with desperate requests from people who cannot get access to the help they need. They wait hours on the phone, only to be told to go to the website to fill out a form. Agencies are underfunded, leaving workers scrambling to deal with the growing backlog.The Liberals promised so much more. When will they hire back the workers the Conservatives cut and get Canadians access to the services they need?
Mr. Speaker, Canada values its relationship with Spain, and we are monitoring the situation in Spain very closely.We urge all parties to find a peaceful solution to this debate within the rule of law and in accordance with the Spanish constitution.
Mr. Speaker, certainly invasive species in our forest sector are something we have dealt with over the decades and centuries in this country. We are working hard with our partners in the forest sector to find solutions to some of these challenges. There are challenges on the east coast as well as in Alberta. I want to assure the member that we are seized with the issue and will continue to work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the sector to come up with a solution to this challenging problem.
Mr. Speaker, sentences handed down for impaired driving causing death are an absolute joke, with offenders walking away with fines as low as $1,500. Instead of standing up for victims, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill. Why does the minister think it is okay for impaired drivers who kill to walk away with a slap on the wrist?
Mr. Speaker, our government has committed to ensuring that the agency delivers quality service to Canadians, and that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits they deserve.We know the disability tax credit is an extremely important credit for individuals with severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions. That is why our government is making it possible for nurse practitioners to complete the applications of their patients. These changes make it easier for Canadians with disabilities to access this extremely important credit.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, from day one the Minister of Finance has been working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in order to comply with all the rules that govern us and he has been sure to follow any directives she might give him, such as putting a conflict of interest screen in place. The screen is public knowledge, and is still in place today.Yesterday, in the spirit of transparency, he announced that he would go above and beyond the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's expectations by putting his holdings in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this in order to continue working for Canadians as he has for two years now, spurring growth surpassing that of all the other G7 countries, making us the envy of the world, and embracing an economic policy that is applauded by economists at the IMF, the World Bank, and the OECD. I think that we can be proud of our Minister of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, certainly I give my condolences to the families involved. We cannot talk of specific cases out of respect for the privacy of the veteran and of the families involved, but there is no question that one suicide is one too many. With the Minister of National Defence we have come forward with a joint suicide prevention strategy. We have hired 400 new frontline staff. We have reopened nine offices that were closed by the previous government. We have access to 4,000 mental health professionals and 11 operational stress injury clinics. We say to veterans and their families, if they need help, please raise their hand. One suicide is one too many.
Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed. These issues have caused real hardships for many public servants and their families, and they should not have to face them. Resolving this as quickly as possible is our priority. That is why we are focused on improving our governance, improving business processes, and increasing technical and human capacity. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned.
Mr. Speaker, after he was elected, the Minister of Finance did not wait around. He met with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner right away to make sure that he was following all the rules and all of her recommendations.What he did yesterday was announce that he was going to take the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's recommendations one step further by putting his holdings in a blind trust and working with her to divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. He is doing this so that he can continue the important work he does for all Canadians, for the middle class, to reduce inequality and grow our economy.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the member opposite that the Minister of Finance spoke to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner as soon as he was elected to ensure that he was following all of her recommendations.Yesterday, a letter that the commissioner wrote to him after his election was made public. I encourage the member to read it. The minister has always followed all of the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Yesterday, he announced that he would go the extra mile to avoid any distractions and to continue the important work he does in the service of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, speaking for myself, I do not need the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to tell me whether I am acting ethically or unethically.The finance minister has spent the past two years concealing his financial situation and profiting from measures being implemented by his own government. For three weeks now, he has been trying to defend his handling of his assets. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has struggled to defend the indefensible by telling everybody over and over that his minister follows all the rules. It took three weeks of relentless grumbling from the Canadian public for him to admit the truth and pledge to make the necessary changes.Will we have to wait another three weeks before this minister finally comes to his senses and does the right thing by apologizing to all Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Finance has been doing since his very first day in office is to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure he follows all the rules and complies with all her recommendations. Yesterday, he announced that he would be going even further by placing his assets in a blind trust and divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell. If the member wants to talk about what the Minister of Finance has been doing for the past two years, I would just like to remind him that two years ago, we were debating whether Canada was in or heading into a recession. Two years later, with this Minister of Finance at the helm, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7, the lowest unemployment rate of the past 10 years, and a child poverty rate that is down 40%. This minister is focused on growth and prosperity, but most importantly, inclusive prosperity for all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the guardian of parliamentarians' integrity here in Parliament is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, with whom the Minister of Finance has been working from day one to ensure that full compliance with the law and the rules. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance announced that he would go even further in a show of transparency by indicating that he would put his holdings in a blind trust and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell so as not to distract from the important work that this minister has been doing for all Canadians for two years now.
Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to improving road safety. That is why we have brought forward strong legislation to provide law enforcement with the tools they need to detect and prosecute the most serious of offenders and to keep our roadways safe.We have gone beyond merely introducing legislation, but have ensured they also have the resources and the training, by announcing $161 million for the training of those officers and providing those resources.It is through those actions that we are going to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, recently at the justice committee, we heard from a number of victims groups, including Families for Justice. They made the very reasonable proposal that anyone convicted of killing someone because of their drunken driving should go to jail for at least five years. The Liberals were very quick to reject this common-sense proposal. Why do they think that is so unreasonable?
Mr. Speaker, no one in Canada has more power to enrich the fortunes of an individual company than the finance minister. He has put forward legislation creating target benefit pension plans that his company sells. He has put forward tax proposals that would force small businesses to put money into individualized pension plans, which his company sells. The Bank of Canada, for which the finance minister is the only shareholder, gave lucrative renewed contracts to his company while he was minister.Does the government, and the Prime Minister, not see the obvious conflict of interest in all of these actions?
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very concerned about the situation in Somalia and is monitoring it closely.We have already contributed $2 million through the Red Cross to help those who were wounded in the attack. I can assure my colleagues that we are monitoring the situation closely and that we could increase our contribution if necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind hon. members that the guardian that prevents all conflicts of interest in the House, real or perceived, is the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.Since day one, the Minister of Finance has shown integrity and transparency by working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and he has followed all of her recommendations.Yesterday, to avoid any distraction from the important work that he does for all Canadians, the minister decided to go beyond what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner recommended by putting his holdings in a blind trust, by divesting himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell, and by continuing to use a conflict of interest screen, which was recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and which he put in place as soon as he took office.
Mr. Speaker, internationally trained newcomers in my riding of EtobicokeLakeshore need help getting their credentials recognized in the new country they now call home. Newcomers want to be productive members of society, but sometimes navigating the Canadian system for those who were trained abroad can be complicated. They need meaningful assistance so they can achieve their professional and personal potential. Can the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour update this House on measures taken to support internationally trained newcomers?
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for raising this question. He has done so several times. We share the concerns that he has with respect to Sears employees, their families, and the many communities that have been impacted. That is why our government is trying to do everything we can to assist these workers during these difficult times. We have made every effort to connect Sears employees and pensioners with programs that will assist them. In particular, Service Canada has been meeting with representatives. It has had 80 sessions, and they are being delivered across the country. We will continue to work with these Sears employees and their families to make sure that we assist them during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for EtobicokeLakeshore for his strong advocacy on this particular issue. He deserves a round of applause.As part of the targeted employment strategy for newcomers, we have launched a call for proposals for the foreign credential recognition program. This program will offer loans to help with the recognition process. Helping newcomers get their foreign credentials recognized faster will allow them to join the Canadian workforce faster. This is critical to growing our economy and strengthening our middle class.
Mr. Speaker, what is happening in Spain is truly appalling. It is no longer Catalan independence that is under attack. Spain is attacking the very foundations of democracy: the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. Now Spain is threatening to strip Catalonia of ability to govern by withdrawing its statute of autonomy.Will the Canadian government finally stand up for democracy and tell the Spanish government that enough is enough and to stop attacking the Catalan people?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister initially said that he was just following the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner while ignoring what the Prime Minister told him he had to do in his mandate letter, but yesterday he announced he was going to take action to fix the situation. Even if he were following the rules, he must understand that any reasonable person would conclude that at the very least, he was in an apparent conflict of interest and certainly failed to exercise the kind of judgment one would expect from a finance minister.Will he now apologize to Canadians for breaking their trust?
We need a yes or no answer about Bill C-27.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance has been saying from day one, he worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and acted on all of her recommendations. We on this side believe in our institutions, in the institution that is the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and in the wisdom she provides to us parliamentarians to ensure that there is no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest. Not only did the minister follow the commissioner's directives, but yesterday he also announced that he would go even further and divest himself of his shares in Morneau Shepell and place all of his assets in a blind trust, which is more than the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner requires of him and of all parliamentarians.
Mr. Speaker, in 2013 when the current finance minister was the executive chair of Morneau Shepell, he said, We need legislation enabling Target Benefit Plans. Then, once he became finance minister, he introduced that legislation. The finance minister has been receiving tens of thousands of dollars a month from Morneau Shepell the entire time. That is a really obvious conflict. Why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance minister said he declared all his assets to the Ethics Commissioner but we know that it took questions from the CBC before he revealed his private offshore corporation and updated his ethics filing two years late.Will the minister confirm that he received a notice of violation from the Ethics Commissioner ahead of his refiling?
Mr. Speaker, it took questions from the CBC for the finance minister to reveal his private offshore corporation. It took pressure from the House for the minister to start liquidating assets from his private Alberta corporation. The Prime Minister seems to think the finance minister gets to take a mulligan when it comes to his ethics filings. When will the finance minister stop throwing the Ethics Commissioner under the bus and start taking responsibility for his failures?
Mr. Speaker, after two years, the Minister of Finance needs the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to fill out his declaration form. Wow.Furthermore, this minister is passing laws that give an advantage to his company, Morneau Shepell, which specializes in pension plans. He has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.Canadians want to know whether the Minister of Finance, a shareholder of the Morneau Shepell subsidiary in Barbados, recused himself from discussions on the tax agreement with Barbados, which is a tax haven. Yes or no.
Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, since day one, our government has been focused on helping the middle class. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, according to the Conference Board of Canada, tobacco use in Canada costs the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. We also know that cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of premature death in Canada. What is the Minister of Health doing to address tobacco addiction and the use of tobacco in our country?
Mr. Speaker, I will meet with the family at a convenient time today.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with the provinces, Quebec, the municipalities in SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean, and municipalities across Canada to protect and restore Canada's species at risk, including the caribou. The environment and the economy must go hand in hand, so we are working closely with the provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Mr. Speaker, the offshore petroleum boards in Atlantic Canada, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, have legislated mandates to expand oil and gas activity in the offshore. They have never had any role in environmental assessment. If they did, it would be a conflict of interest. Now it appears that the Liberals are following through on Stephen Harper's plans to put these boards involved in environmental assessment where they should not be.Can the Minister of Environment assure this House that she will keep the offshore boards out of environmental assessment?
Mr. Speaker, it is not talking points when we talk about the employees. It is not talking points when we talk about their families. We sincerely mean this. That is why we are genuinely engaged with the Sears employees and their families to assist them during this difficult time.We also believe in secure pensions. With respect to Sears, I understand that the current Sears Canada pension funds are held in trust and must be used solely for the benefit of the pensioners.As the member opposite well knows, the CCAA process with regard to Sears is before the courts, and we are monitoring that situation as well. We will continue to assist the employees and their families.
Mr. Speaker, their excuses do not cut it. It is almost like a bank robber getting caught and then wanting to turn the money back in. It does not work that way.Barbados is the number three tax haven for wealthy Canadians. The Minister of Finance is responsible for the Canada-Barbados tax treaty, and Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary on that tiny island.Since we now know that the minister's tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stocks were not at arm's length in a blind trust for the past two years, did the Minister of Finance follow the law and recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty?
Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister acts like she was the last one to know that the CRA wants to tax employee discounts. When the plan become public, she blamed the agency and accepted no responsibility.With the finance minister attacking small businesses and hiding his assets while concealing his conflicts of interest, and the revenue minister wanting to tax the benefits of some of the lowest-paid workers in Canada, when will these ministers stand up and take responsibility for their actions instead of just blaming others?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question.In October last year, the finance minister himself introduced Bill C-27, which would set up the same target benefit plans that he previously called for as executive chair of Morneau Shepell. The minister's family company called the bill a positive step and not surprisingly, welcomed its introduction. The fact is the finance minister's billion dollar family company will benefit directly from Bill C-27.So again, specifically and clearly: why did the finance minister not recuse himself from discussions about Bill C-27?
Just blame the Ethics Commissioner, Mr. Speaker.The finance minister says he is working for the middle class, all the while attempting to justify that his actions were ethical, showing again just how out of touch he is with the reality facing most Canadians. The minister is in charge of the country's finances and he should not be allowed to maintain control over tens of millions of dollars in personal investments in a company he regulates. That is common sense.When will he take personal ownership that what he did was wrong and just apologize to Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta is getting eaten alive. Jasper Park is turning brown due to the pine beetle infestation. Now they are fed up with Parks Canada and are moving into the foothills region, from 40,000 trees last year to over 500,000 this year. Our previous Conservative government gave $8 million to fight this. What is the Minister of Natural Resources going to do to stop the pine beetle from attacking our forests?
Mr. Speaker, this week, Canadians witnessed something never before seen in federal politics.They watched as the Minister of Finance floundered around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He was caught red-handed attempting to get small business owners, their employees, and farmers to foot the bill for his deficit spending.We also discovered that he pocketed millions thanks to a bill he himself introduced, which is indisputably unethical. Now that he has collected his bonus, will the Minister of Finance tell us if he participated in cabinet decisions about Bill C-27?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Finance stood in the House and claimed that an early administrative error was the reason he failed to disclose his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. Could the minister confirm that if any Canadian fails to disclose foreign companies to the appropriate government body, they can make the problem disappear simply by claiming it was an early administrative error, or does this only work if one is the Prime Minister's right-hand man?
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.In the first two budgets, we made historic investments of over $1 billion in the CRA to crack down on tax evaders. We are already seeing results. We have had 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations. We have had 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions. Let us be absolutely clear that tax evaders can no longer hide. Canadians expect nothing less.
Mr. Speaker, Sears workers deserve more than talking points from the minister. Sears Canada employees and retirees worked hard to earn their benefits and pensions and because the Liberals refuse to fix our broken bankruptcy legislation, Sears Canada executives continue to receive bonuses for a failing company.When will the Liberals stick up for workers and present a real plan to help Sears Canada employees? Two years after the election, will they keep their promise and fix the broken bankruptcy legislation in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, for the last two years, our government has been focused on helping the middle class and those working hard to join it. The document from the agency did not reflect the intentions of our government. It has been removed and is being reviewed. We will continue to ensure that our actions support the middle class. As the Prime Minister stated, we will not be going after anyone's retail employee discounts.
Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to concentrate when members across the way are shouting like that. I would ask that you intervene. What the minister announced is that we are standing behind our small businesses now as we have all along. We are cutting taxes to keep Canada on its current growth track. To make sure he was doing things properly, he listened to Canadians from coast to coast, and this week, he announced changes that will bring a little more fairness into our tax system.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Mogadishu in Somalia are still responding to the horrific terror attack that struck last Saturday. Hospitals remain short of urgently needed medical supplies and families need more support. The world is responding with aid. The U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Kenya, and others have offered their assistance, but Canada has not. Will the government act as our allies have done and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Somalia?
Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. The finance minister's announcement has not dispelled Canadians' doubts about his judgment and integrity.For two years, he let people think that he had already put his holdings in a blind trust. Now, he is taking action only because he was caught. He should have exercised some judgment and done that from the very beginning.Why do the Liberals always wait for a scandal to break before showing the least bit of common sense?
Mr. Speaker, Sears Canada workers and retirees are hurting and Liberal talking points are not helping. The Liberals are misleading Canadians by saying Sears Canada pensions will not be affected because they are in a trust, but that is not true. The value of workers' pensions will be reduced by 19% due to underfunding by the company and will further be reduced when Morneau Shepell delivers its bill for administrating the windup of the pension plans.When will the Liberals stop misleading Canadians and deliver a plan for Sears Canada workers and pensioners?
Mr. Speaker, today, the family of Lionel Desmond is on Parliament Hill. Their tragedy has impacted veterans and military communities across this country. I was out there this morning, and the family is upset. They are upset because the Liberal government and the Minister of Veterans Affairs are not meeting with them. My colleagues and I were out there this morning to meet with the Desmond family, and this afternoon we will be out there again.My question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Will he join me and my colleague from Durham and others from this House to walk 300 feet away to meet with the Desmond family?
Mr. Speaker, if he answered our questions, we would not have to be so noisy.It took two years for the finance minister to carry out his plan, which he announced in 2013, to change the law so that his firm could make millions of dollars. That is how long it took for the minister to personally profit from a decision made by his government. Now, two years and millions of dollars later, the minister is telling us that he will sell his shares.Does he take us for complete idiots? Does the Minister of Finance realize that this fairy tale for visionary millionaires is entirely unethical? Did he recuse himself from matters relating to Bill C-27, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister failed to declare his offshore corporation to the Ethics Commissioner. He was required to disclose it two years ago, but he claims that he did not because of early administrative errors. No one is buying that. He hid this from Canadians until he got caught.How can we trust anything the minister says now that we know he has been deceiving Canadians for so long?
Mr. Speaker, the member talks about an ethics screen requiring the minister to recuse himself from any matters affecting his company, Morneau Shepell. I have three questions. Did he recuse himself from any discussions on the Barbados tax haven where his company has a subsidiary? Did he recuse himself from any discussions on target benefit pension plans, from which his company stands to profit in the millions? Did he recuse himself from tax policies forcing small businesses to invest in individualized pension plans, from which his company stands to profit?
Mr. Speaker, this week, the minister announced a tax cut for small businesses. Their tax rate will drop from 10.5% to 9% by January 1, 2019.
Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is creating tons of anxiety on Parks Canada, on Fisheries and Oceans, and other Government of Canada employees in my riding of CourtenayAlberni. My office is receiving desperate pleas from workers who are still waiting to get paid. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and still there is no end in sight. What is the government's plan to ensure that workers get the pay they so desperately need, and when will the Phoenix backlog finally be cleared?
Mr. Speaker, they are still giving us the runaround.Twelve years ago, when Quebec designated the woodland caribou as a vulnerable species, it brought in two measures to protect them, and they work. Three-quarters of the caribou are in areas where there are no forestry activities and where they co-exist with humans, and their numbers continue to increase.Since Quebec's measures are working, why is the Liberal government rejecting them and why does it insist on throwing forestry workers from SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean out on the street?