Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
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Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have
Mr. Speaker, I respect the independence of the committees. I am happy that the committee in question will be studying the legislation that governs conflicts of interest and inviting the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. I think it is good to hear what parliamentarians have to say on the matter. That is part of what this place does in a constant effort to improve itself. However, we on this side of the House have always shown openness, transparency, and respect for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we faced an extraordinary situation in the summer, but I am proud of the fact our agencies responded. We were able to move around resources to make sure we responded to the pressure points. We made sure we dramatically improved processing times for work permits so asylum seekers could support themselves and eliminate pressure on provincial health and social programs. We have established a task force to make sure we collaborate across all levels of government. Our response has been efficient and has made sure we move forward together.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Unfortunately, I do not agree with him. We support the aerospace sector, and we will continue to engage with Bombardier and the suppliers. This is so important to our economy. We will make sure that we invest in research and development. We will make sure that we defend the sector when it is attacked by companies in the U.S. We will continue to support the workers in the aerospace sector.
Mr. Speaker, as I have confirmed to the House before, I have reported all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner, 100% of my assets. I hold no controlled assets whatsoever in any of my holdings or the holdings of my family.What I can say is that rather than focusing on my finances, it would be nice if the members opposite focused on the finances of Canadians. That is what we are focused on. To the member for Milton, we are focused on her constituents and their situation, helping them with an increase in the Canada child benefit, for example, and helping them with an increase in the working income tax benefit, so they are better off.
Mr. Speaker, I worked with the Ethics Commissioner to be certain I was not in conflict of interest.I believe it is very important to give Canadians a chance to have a dignified retirement. That is one of our main goals. That is why we improved the pension system for all Canadians and the guaranteed income supplement for seniors. We will continue to make things better for our seniors. That is an important goal.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear that our government is going to increase funding for the athlete assistance program. It is especially important in light of the fact that the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will open in 100 and 128 days, respectively. We hope that our athletes will do their very best.Can the minister tell us what impact increased funding for the athlete assistance program has on Canada's high level athletes, many of whom are from LaurentidesLabelle?
Mr. Speaker, the key difference here is that I disclosed everything to the Ethics Commissioner and the finance minister did not.This is not a backbencher we are talking about. We are talking about the Minister of Finance, one of the government's most prominent ministers.When did the Prime Minister find out that the Minister of Finance was in conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, I have the same answer to the same question. It is very important for us to consider how we can improve the lives of Canadians. That is our goal. It is a very important goal. Fortunately for Canadians, our economy is in great shape. As we said, we now have the highest rate of economic growth and the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. That is very important for us now and for our children's future.
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, I worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to make sure she fully understands my personal situation. She made some recommendations on how to avoid putting myself in a conflict of interest. That was very important. The reason the members opposite are so interested in my personal situation is that they know that it is very important to continue to focus on the finances of Canadians. It is very important to improve the lives of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the minister continues to insist she has made no changes to the policies that govern the disability tax credit. We have letters that prove that is not right. However, the most convincing proof is that 80% of those with type 1 diabetes who used to be approved for the credit are now being denied. Who told the minister to raise taxes on those suffering from type 1 diabetes?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans. Morneau Shepell manages a pension fund for Bombardier, and yet he negotiated a $372-million loan. The minister is proposing a tax reform that makes businesses pay more taxes, but he included a grandfather clause for his own company. Something does not add up here. If the minister does not have the judgment needed to step back when his own personal interests are at stake, he should simply withdraw from cabinet.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring gender equity for all women in Canada. We are committed to ensuring adequate time for a meaningful debate of Bill S-3, particularly in the context of the new court deadline of December 22. Our government is committed to working with first nations communities, impacted individuals, experts, and parliamentarians to remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions within the Indian Act.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to seeing our carded athletes succeed at the highest level. That is why I am very pleased we are investing $25 million over the next five years in our athletes. This will allow us to put $265 more a month in the pockets of these athletes. This will allow them to pay for rent and food, so they can concentrate on their athletics. This is their first raise in 14 long years.Our government is committed to seeing them succeed in PyeongChang and beyond. We are committed to our athletes.
Mr. Speaker, legal discrimination against women is unacceptable in 2017, unless apparently they are indigenous women, because colonial Ottawa still maintains the power to decide who has indigenous rights in this country and it has disenfranchised thousands of women. Now the courts have ordered a remedy, and what a sight. Our feminist Prime Minister is saying he needs more time to consult. Come on, governments have had 150 years of time to obstruct the rights of indigenous women. Time is up. Will the Prime Minister amend Bill S-3 and end sex discrimination against indigenous women once and for all, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, all of my assets are disclosed and none of my assets are controlled assets. It is important to make sure that we disclose everything to the Ethics Commissioner. What I would like to know again, as I said, is whether that is actually happening on the other side of the House, including whether the member for Calgary Rocky Ridge has disclosed everything in 638484 Alberta Ltd., or whether the member for Fort McMurrayCold Lake has disclosed everything in 615783 Alberta Ltd. at DBK Holdings. These are questions that are quite interesting, but I will say that for me what is more important is that we actually think about what is going on for the constituents in those ridings, whether they are actually seeing the advantages that we are trying
Mr. Speaker, we have a chance to have great creators in this country and we need to stand up for them. While Canadians have access to these platforms and they are a part of our everyday lives, we need to be able to present the views of creators when discussing these platforms. That is exactly what we did.That being said, we had a chance to meet with artists across the country and to hear from 30,000 Canadians. We have had more meetings with the Writers Guild, with the CMPA, with CIMA, and in general with ACTRA than any other platforms.
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House works with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that their personal dispositions are in line with the rules in place. I can assure everyone that the finance minister followed that advice, and I am absolutely certain that the leader of the official opposition also followed the advice of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in accordance to his own personal tax dispositions.
Mr. Speaker, as tomorrow begins a month-long awareness campaign on the impacts of diabetes on Canadians, I stand in the House today to acknowledge and recognize the profound impact this disease has on patients and their families.In addition to supporting programs that prevent diabetes, including healthy eating and physical activity, could the Minister of Health please inform us how our government is supporting the researchers who are tirelessly working to find new treatments and hopefully a cure for this disease?
Mr. Speaker, while the minister was speaking, I had an opportunity to confirm with the 21 members in the caucus to whom he referred. They have all confirmed that none of them owns stocks in a company that he or she regulates. Only the finance minister has that distinction. Therefore, can he just tell us, what is he holding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from ScarboroughRouge Park for his involvement in this important issue.Our government remains deeply concerned by the crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya. That is why I just launched a Myanmar crisis relief fund, a matching fund. The government will match every dollar Canadians donate between now and November 28 to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge Canadians to be generous and to visit Canada.ca/myanmarcrisis.
Mr. Speaker, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit and for people with diabetes. The concerns raised by the groups are important, but I can say that for 10 years, the former Conservative government made cuts to scientific research. Our government has invested $41 million in research into diabetes. We will continue to work with our partners to eradicate diabetes in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I am so happy the member opposite has finally found a priority in reducing backlogs. We inherited a system under that party, where we were waiting for 24 months for citizenship. We cut that down to 12 months. Under the Conservative members' party, when it was in power, it was taking 48 months for spouses to be reunited. We now have a new standard of 12 months. We eliminated 20,000 cases from the spousal backlog. That means 20,000 spouses are now reunited because of our efforts. I am so proud the member has finally joined us in enthusiastically embracing and reducing
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to respect Canadians who are demanding transparency. Only a Liberal would think it is a petty attack to ask a finance minister, who has responsibility to regulate and legislate the economy, to disclose what he owns in his numbered companies. This has nothing to do with the Conflict of Interest Commissioner herself. This has to do with the finance minister who has withheld information from Canadians. When will the Prime Minister order his finance minister to come clean?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that this information has been available for a long time on the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's website; indeed two ministers had controlled assets held indirectly. The finance minister has announced that he is moving forward, going above and beyond what was originally asked. In the case of the other minister, those assets were divested 18 months ago.
Mr. Speaker, I can only assume that the continuing obsession with my personal finances is because the members on the opposite side do not want to think about what is actually happening for their own constituents. If they went out and knocked on doors, what they would find is that 450,000-plus people now have jobs who did not have jobs two years ago. They would find that we have the lowest rate of unemployment in a decade. They would find that our economy is doing well and that people in their ridings are finding themselves and their families in a better situation. That is what we are going to continue to focus on. That is what we were elected to do.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party is the only one in the history of the Parliament of Canada to be held in contempt of Parliament as a sitting government. The members opposite have shown no respect for transparency and openness. That is why Canadians elected a better government two years ago. That is why we continue to raise the bar on transparency and openness, despite their attacks.
Mr. Speaker, what we know is that 21 members on the other side of the House have private corporations. We also know that the members on the other side of the House argued vociferously against the changes that we wanted to make to make sure that our tax system was fair. Therefore, while we were working on behalf of Canadians, working to make sure that we could lower tax rates on small businesses across this country, they were focused on the advantages that 1.7% of those privately incorporated individuals might have. While they protect their interests, we will protect the interests of Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, as a former social worker, I am very proud to say that I have always worked for society's most vulnerable and least fortunate.I have some good news for my colleagues opposite too: total tax credit approvals for people with mental illness reached unprecedented levels last year.We are making mental health care credits easier to get, we are simplifying the forms, and we are hiring clinical nurses. We are continuing to work with our partners. That is what our government promised, and we intend to continue delivering on that promise.
Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member opposite that it is tragic whenever a worker loses their life in the workplace. That is why we are taking action to make sure that the health and safety of Canadian workers is first and foremost in what we do. Everyone has the right to a safe workplace and a healthy working environment. In budget 2017 we announced new compliance and enforcement tools that include new administrative monetary penalties and the authority to publicly name violators. We are also currently working with provinces and territories to harmonize occupational health and safety regulations. We agree data is important. We will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, we are the first government ever in the history of Canada to make all efforts possible to eliminate sex discrimination for women within the Indian Act. That is our intention. That is our commitment. We are working with first nations, with individuals, and with Canadians to ensure that we remove all sex discrimination from the registration provisions of the Indian Act. That is a commitment that we stand by as a government.
Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a public health crisis and we are responding in a way that is comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate, and also evidence-based. We recently announced $7.5 million that will enhance the development of evidence-based practices that could be used by those dealing with the crisis on the ground. This builds on our investment in budget 2017 and many actions to date. We will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives and turn the tide of this national public health crisis.
Mr. Speaker, as the current government lobbies the Senate to pass Bill S-3, indigenous women and the Feminist Alliance for International Action are again calling on the Liberals to accept a Senate amendment to end all sex discrimination. This amendment, similar to one proposed by my NDP colleague but voted down by the Liberals on National Indigenous Peoples Day of all days, would fully remove sex discrimination from the Indian Act. Why would the feminist Prime Minister, whose most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, not remove all sex discrimination from the Indian Act?
Mr. Speaker, a former law clerk of the House of Commons is astounded that the finance minister thought he was complying with the spirit of the Conflict of Interest Act by holding assets through numbered companies and that, at the same time that he was introducing pension legislation, he owned a company whose business is pensions. The former law clerk says that the finance minister should've known better. We agree completely. Does the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker, the minister should be restoring the tax credit for diabetics. This past Friday in Abbotsford, within a 10-hour period, five different residents died of opioid overdoses. This kind of tragedy is playing out in hundreds of communities across our country, yet the federal government's silence on this health crisis has been deafening: no response, no strategy, no plan. When will the minister wake up and realize Canadians are dying on her watch? When will she act?
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we did this summer when we brought to light the fact that small business owners in Canada were being called tax cheats by this Minister of Finance. For two full years, this minister drove the economic policy that benefited not only his personal wealth but also the wealth of his friends and his family. Who knows how many other policies this minister was part of and implemented directly benefit his holdings. When will the minister quit his game of hide and seek, come clean, and tell the House the contents of numbered companies 1446977 and 2135042?
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned the coalition. I had the opportunity to meet with its representatives and also to meet with different stakeholders on various occasions.I am always pleased to meet with industry stakeholders, as I did last Sunday, when I attended the ADISQ gala with my colleague. It is also important to meet with representatives of digital platforms because instead of hiding from this reality we realize that these platforms are part of our lives.It is our role, as members of government, to present the views of artists and our creators to ensure that there is Canadian content on digital platforms.
Mr. Speaker, for the 338 members of this House, for the ministers of this government, for the ministers of the previous government, and for the ministers of the government before that, we work with the Ethics Commissioner to disclose all of our assets, as I have done. We get recommendations from the Ethics Commissioner on how we can ensure we do not have conflicts of interest, which I did. Then we follow the recommendations of the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that we actually execute that on an ongoing basis, without conflicts of interest, which is what I did. That is
Mr. Speaker, reports from The Globe and Mail state that this government is failing to track workplace fatalities in Canada. It is critical that the Liberals lead and collect new data to support evidence-based interventions in dangerous work to protect Canadian workers. Does the government know how many worker fatalities there have been in Canada this year? Of course not, as they do not have the information. Will the Liberal government work with us, take leadership, and collect data to keep Canadian workers safe and alive?
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system should be compassionate, safe, and fair. However, this Prime Minister ignored for months the desperate pleas from genocide survivors. He has no plan to support the integration of tens of thousands of refugees. He has refused to close the loophole in the safe third country agreement, instead prioritizing those who have entered Canada illegally. He has also created massive wait times for everyone else who is trying to enter Canada by playing the rules. How can the Prime Minister bring in 300,000 more people while having no plan to fix the mess that he has created?
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is raising new concerns about the finance minister's conflict of interest. Canadians have lost confidence in him because he hid his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company in Alberta and failed to disclose his offshore corporation in France. Canadians are wondering just how many more assets and conflicts of interest he is hiding in his other numbered companies.I ask the finance minister this. What assets is he hiding in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, as members and ministers are almost always required to do, the Minister of Finance worked with the Ethics Commissioner to ensure that he was following all the rules and laws. He also put in place a screen to ensure he did not make decisions where he was in a conflict of interest, a step also taken by a former leader of the opposition, former minister Denis Lebel, and many people on both sides of the House who entered into similar arrangements.
Mr. Speaker, again, it is all a bit rich coming from the Conservative Party, who spent 10 years attacking and dismantling the institutions that protected our Parliament. It is the only government in the history
Mr. Speaker, speaking of the mess that is being created, the party opposite brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees out of genocide. We have brought almost 800 survivors of Daesh to Canada. The party opposite gutted settlement services for newcomers. We are investing more than $1 billion in settlement services. The party opposite gutted health care for refugees, who are the most vulnerable people in the world. We will take
Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring the problem like the previous government did, we decided to tackle this issue head-on so we could protect and promote our culture in the digital era. That is why it is important to have a chance to present the views of our artists and creators to digital platforms, to make sure our arts and culture can thrive on those platforms. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unlike the previous government, we also meet frequently with cultural groups. We are involved. We are in discussion with dozens of representatives of the cultural community, including
Mr. Speaker, what do we know right now? We know that 21 members on the other side of the House
Mr. Speaker, all of my assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner. That is absolutely clear. Saying it many times will not actually change the fact.The question for me, though, is for the 21 members on the other side of the House who have private corporations, and whether they have in fact taken the same approach. For example, has the member for Chatham-KentLeamington disclosed what is in 782615 Ontario Inc. or what is in 2412420 Ontario Inc., or, for example, has the member for Niagara Falls disclosed what is in
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that multiple ministers are benefiting from a loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Ethics Commissioner has been calling for this loophole to be closed since 2013.For a government that held itself to such a high ethical standard, why is the Prime Minister refusing to do the right thing: take the Ethics Commissioner's advice and close the loophole?
Mr. Speaker, this minister's government is running a deficit of over $20 billion, which is twice as much as the Liberals promised during the election campaign. We know that this minister takes action only when he is caught. That is what he did with his shares and his private companies, and that is what he must do now with his numbered companies.I have another question. Can the finance minister tell us what he is holding in 2135042 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the new documents, and 80% of applicants for the disability tax credit were approved before May of this year. Now, that same 80% who were approved are being denied. The revenue minister continues to say that Canadians will get the disability tax credits they deserve. Therefore, my question is, does she think people with type 1 diabetes deserve the disability tax credit, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the situation at the Edmonton institution is under investigation by a number of agencies, including the police. Accordingly, the commentary with respect to that particular situation needs to be careful to avoid any interference with the investigation.However, I want to absolutely assure him that the concern that he has expressed is shared by the government. I have asked the commissioner of Correctional Services to ensure that this problem is contained and goes no further.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives and the NDP want to force Canadians to make a false choice between the economy and the environment.The Liberals, like all Canadians, know that the only way to build a better future for our children and grandchildren is to protect the environment and create economic growth at the same time. That is why we are introducing a Canada-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes carbon pricing, protecting our oceans, investing in the middle class, and creating economic growth for everyone, because that is what Canadians want.
Mr. Speaker, that is a confusing response. Let us try this one. Leading into next week's climate meeting in Bonn, the United Nations is raising concerns with the growing emissions gap. It has called for deeper action by all nations. The environment commissioner has reported that the Liberal government is failing to even meet Stephen Harper's targets. Given the UN's concerns, and reports that Canadian methane emissions may be double those forecast, will the Prime Minister commit today to more substantial cuts to our greenhouse gas emissions?
Mr. Speaker, we now know that Netflix is not the only digital giant from Silicon Valley getting special treatment. Google had 37 meetings with members of the government, Microsoft 35 meetings, and Amazon almost 100 meetings. Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director, and worse, the heritage minister's own chief of staff used to work for Google. Not only is the Canadian industry playing by a different set of rules, where is its Facetime with the Minister?I have a simple question. When will the minister get to work for Canadian companies instead of just American ones?
Clearly they are selling out our culture, Mr. Speaker.The curtain is being pulled back on the snarl of lobbies funded by California and Silicon Valley. When we think of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Netflix, and all these people, we understand why the minister of heritage is now talking about the business model for our culture. We naturally have no opportunity to hear from the cultural coalition, and the minister has not responded to the letter from the Quebec government, which was sent a month ago. That is pathetic.Microsoft hired a former Liberal Party director and the heritage minister hired a former Google executive as her chief of staff.Are conflicts of interest contagious?
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect leadership from this government that both builds and grows the economy while protecting the environment. Indeed, Canadians know that is the only way forward, where the Conservatives are very clear that they do not care about protecting the environment, and the economy suffered as a result. The NDP does not particularly care about the economy at all, it seems, with its approach.What we have demonstrated is a responsible pan-Canadian framework and a real plan to reduce emissions, unlike any previous government of any political stripe in this country.
Mr. Speaker, I can do this Bingo game too. What about 615783 Alberta, 782615 Ontario, 1149976 Ontario? Or, I could actually focus on the important numbers: 300,000 children lifted out of poverty; a 9% small business tax rate as opposed to 11% when the previous government was in power; or maybe we could think about the fact that we have 450,000 new jobs, or perhaps the 3.7% growth in the economy over the last year.These are the kind of numbers that matter. They are the numbers that matter to Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, while he was executive chairman of Morneau Shepell, the current Minister of Finance advocated for policies he later implemented when he became the minister.Only when he got caught did these policies that benefited his shares come to light; only when he got caught did he meet with the Ethics Commissioner; and only when he got caught did he agree to sell his shares because of the conflict.If the minister will not disclose the contents of his other mysteriously numbered companies, maybe he could tell us what is in 1446977 Ontario Inc., so that we will know he is not in conflict yet again?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance spent months calling small business owners, farmers, and everyone who creates jobs in our regions tax cheats while he was peddling his tax reforms. Today we are learning that it was the Minister of Finance himself who has been exploiting tax loopholes for his own personal benefit. To make life easier for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is currently investigating the finance minister's case, will he disclose the assets he has hidden in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. The commissioner of the environment confirmed it in her report a few weeks ago. Now the UN's head of the environment is also sounding the alarm with regard to the need to reduce greenhouse gases.The Liberals adopted Stephen Harper's weak reduction targets and, obviously, contrary to what the Prime Minister said, the Liberals will not meet the Copenhagen targets or even the Paris targets. Canadians deserve a real plan to combat climate change.When will the government present such a plan?
Mr. Speaker, the minister appears to be attacking my colleague when he is the one that is off base; in fact, I would say he is way out in left field.With respect to illegal asylum seekers arriving at the Quebec border, the processing time has been dropped from the usual eight hours to one hour. The officers do not have enough time to do their work.Now the government wants to welcome 300,000 new Canadians.That is fine, but what are we going to do to help our immigration and border services officers?
Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Finance secretly held his Morneau Shepell shares in a numbered company for two years. He also introduced legislation on pensions that would benefit him personally. A former House of Commons law clerk stated that his conduct was, and I quote, a huge error of judgment.Does the Prime Minister agree?
That dog will not hunt, Justin.
Mr. Speaker, my problem with this defence is the fact that, when Liberals campaigned, they asked Canadians to vote for them because they were nothing like the Conservatives, and now they are saying not to blame them because they are doing what the Conservatives did before.My colleague from SkeenaBulkley Valley had a motion adopted yesterday at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to invite the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss the changes that will be needed to close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act. We moved the motion last week and the Liberals voted against it. Everyone agrees that the loophole is a problem.When will the Prime Minister finally come around to closing it?
Mr. Speaker, again, no changes have been made to the eligibility criteria for the tax credits. Our objective remains the same. We want people to receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled.We are working with our partners. We have invested $41 million in research. We have simplified the forms for the tax credit. We have hired clinical nurses. We are doing the work the public is asking us to do.
Mr. Speaker, this government often forgets that immigration is not about numbers. It is about people. Last week, I met with Mirabel. She entered Canada
Mr. Speaker, after the troubling revelations of harassment at CSIS, the Correctional Service of Canada is now at the heart of a scandal at the Edmonton jail. The assaults and threats against female correctional officers are unacceptable.We know CSC has suspended the offending individuals, but my question to the minister is this. Can he assure us that such behaviour is not happening in other federal establishments, and will he undertake investigations to be absolutely certain?
Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement. Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, I will continue to focus on the numbers that really matter to Canadians, such as the 300,000 children no longer living in poverty, and the fact that we have the highest growth rate in the G7 and the lowest unemployment rate in the past decade. These are the numbers that matter to our country and to us as a government.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are forever rolling out the red carpet for foreign lobbyists who constantly influence this government's decisions and are brushing off the interests of Canadian companies.This government has had 99 meetings with Amazon, 37 with Google, and 16 with Netflix, all companies that we know for a fact are seeking changes to our copyright and broadcasting laws.It makes us wonder if the heritage minister is just a puppet for American Internet giants. How can the minister stand by and let American corporations rewrite our laws?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in question period, the revenue minister continued to pat herself on the back by saying Our government is fully committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits to which they are entitled.These words are cold comfort to those who suffer from type 1 diabetes, mental illness, or autism who are suddenly being denied disability tax credits, all because these Liberals need more money to fund their out-of-control spending. Is the denial of the disability tax credit on a massive scale this minister's idea of ensuring that all Canadians get the tax credits to which they are entitled?
Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance does not know how our government works, and this is why we are in deep problems now.Canadians are interested in knowing what assets the finance minister holds for the simple reason that he is the finance minister. That is all. The finance minister is the man behind all of these tax measures. That is why, before he sold his shares, every decision he made placed him in a conflict of interest. The problem is that he still owns companies we know nothing about.Can the minister tell us what he is holding in 1446977 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians should get the tax credits they are entitled to. I would suggest that my colleagues opposite stop telling Canadians things that are not true. We invested $41 million in diabetes research. We invested $5 billion in mental health. That money will enable us to help 500,000 young people under the age of 25. We have simplified our forms, we are hiring clinical nurses, we are working with our partners, and we will keep doing all those things because that is what we promised Canadians.
The minister wants to know what is in my company. I am one of the 21 he just listed. It is a rental property. How hard was that? What is in 2254165 Ontario Inc.?
Mr. Speaker, let me assure everyone that resolving this issue is my top priority. People deserve to be paid properly and on time.When the previous government irresponsibly treated pay modernization as a cost-cutting measure instead of the complex, enterprise-wide business transformation that it was, it set the project up to fail and exposed it to enormous risk.We are taking the steps that the previous government did not take. We are improving governance, putting in place business processes and training, addressing technological challenges, providing emergency support for workers, and working with partners, in particular, public sector unions. While we did not create this problem, we will fix it.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have been forced from their homes and murdered in Myanmar over recent months in what is being described as ethnic cleansing. Last week, the government announced major initiatives to help put an end to the violence in the region.Can the minister give us an update on the additional measures our government has taken to allow Canadians to help the Rohingya?
Mr. Speaker, the Senate opted out of the Phoenix pay system to find another service provider, However, trying to fix the Phoenix boondoggle with even more contracting out is like the Prime Minister trying to fix his government's lack of vision by putting on fake glasses. The government will fail to meet collective bargaining deadlines because of Phoenix. Rather than spooking our struggling senators and delaying collective bargaining with actual public servants, will the Liberal government rebuild a publicly administered payroll system for all federal employees?
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Finance says, we know how the Liberal government operates. The Minister of National Revenue has to find money to pay for the Liberals' deficits.Unfortunately for Canadians, she is taking her mandate a bit too seriously. She has chosen to take money from the most vulnerable, people with diabetes, mental illness, and other health problems.On this side of the house, instead of defending ministers who hide their family fortunes, like in an episode of Dynasty, we will always stand up for the least fortunate.Which side will the minister choose? Will she finally stop attacking the most vulnerable?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the my hon. colleague from Brampton South for her tireless advocacy on this issue, as she chairs the all-party caucus on diabetes. Our government recognizes the impact diabetes has on the health of patients. That is why we are making investments in research, prevention, and early detection of diabetes. In 2015-16, alone, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research invested over $41 million in diabetes research. Tomorrow is the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month and we will continue to work hard to support people living with diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference between the members of this side of the House and the Minister of Finance. First of all, no one on our side hid a villa in France. Second, no one took two years to report their assets, which is just outrageous. Third, no one over here created a law that would benefit themselves personally.Coming back to the main question, will the Minister of Finance tell us what he is hiding in the companies numbered 2070689 and 2254165?
Mr. Speaker, everyone on this side of the House works with the Ethics Commissioner. We comply with the Ethics Commissioner's decisions and advice.In truth, it is not surprising to see the Conservatives attack the commissioner, because during their decade in government, they attacked the Chief Electoral Officer, the Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner. They also axed the national science advisor position. They were constantly going after the institutions that safeguard our democracy.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians and indeed all members opposite know that the finance minister worked with the Ethics Commissioner and followed her advice. What is not surprising is to see the Conservatives yet again attacking the integrity and the work of an officer of Parliament. For 10 years in government they attacked the Information Commissioner, they attacked the Official Languages Commissioner, they attacked the Privacy Commissioner, they took potshots at Supreme Court justices, and attacked Elections Canada every step of the way. The fact is that the Conservatives need to respect the institutions that defend Parliament.
Mr. Speaker, it is the finance minister who just cannot be trusted. He hid an offshore company from Canadians for two years. He secretly managed his Morneau Shepell stocks in an Alberta numbered company. He tabled legislation that could benefit him personally. The finance minister still owns another five numbered companies that are unaccounted for. When will the Prime Minister order the finance minister to disclose what he is holding in those numbered companies?
Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the finance minister cannot see the difference between a member of Parliament owning shares and a member of cabinet who owned pension shares and advocated for and introduced Bill C-27, which is pension reform legislation. It is a completely different story. He is the one in the conflict of interest. No one on this side has introduced legislation that would put us in a conflict of interest.Will the finance minister come clean and tell Canadians what else he is hiding in 2070689 Ontario Ltd.?
Mr. Speaker, last week, I met with Mirabel, and she is watching us today. She entered Canada as a live-in caregiver and has played by the rules. All she knows is that every time the Prime Minister prioritizes a person who has illegally crossed the border, her application to bring her kids here seems to drop to the bottom of the list, and that is not fair.Is the Prime Minister going to fix the system that he broke, or is he going to continue to let Mirabel and everyone else like her pay for his arrogance?
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how we are supposed to protect our culture without any guarantees regarding francophone content, but fine.The Minister of Finance is introducing a bill on pension plans, when his company manages pension plans
Mr. Speaker, what is really shocking is that members opposite do not really understand how it works in this country. We have