Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
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Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.
Mr. Speaker, I would have liked to get an answer from the Minister of Immigration. I think he is big enough to handle himself.Is the minister saying that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is lying when it says it is in talks with the Government of Canada? Is the minister prepared to continue on that track just to play politics because he refuses to admit that the solution proposed by the Conservatives is the best one?How can we trust this government?Who is telling the truth?
Mr. Speaker, 2017 was the best year ever for tourism in Canada. Close to 21 million tourists visited our country from all over the world, including more than 680,000 visitors from China, which was also a new record.Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism update the House on what our government is doing to welcome more Chinese tourists and what this means for our economy?
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained in this House a number of times, our government made a decision to include a new entrant in this important fishery. We thought it was also important to have significant indigenous benefits from this decision. We are proud that a partnership was formed between a company with experience in offshore fisheries and indigenous communities from five provinces, four Atlantic Canadian provinces and Quebec. We also understand the importance of the facility in Grand Bank, and we think the member should be careful not to raise fears unreasonably in that community, as he has done from the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.
Mr. Speaker, as I have had a chance to explain in this House before, the previous Conservative government, in fact, had a plan in 2014 and 2015 to bring a new entrant into this fishery. If they were going to include a new entrant in this fishery, it is obvious that at that time their concern for the people of Grand Bank had somehow been forgotten, because that decision would have had exactly the same consequences they are now exaggerating for the people of Grand Bank. What they forgot to do in that process was include indigenous communities, and we are proud to have done so. That is why we are proud of this decision.
Mr. Speaker, we advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It was a very important issue to us, one that I took very personally, and we are very happy that he is back home in Canada. We are aware of the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government, and I think it is important to take that into account.
Mr. Speaker, I am really glad to have that question. We advocated at every level for Mr. Diab's return to Canada. It is an issue that I took very personally. I am very glad he is back home in Canada with his family.I have read the reports of the involvement of government officials in his extradition. This happened under the previous government. This is indeed a matter that is important to look into.
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how I can make it more clear. Maybe the member opposite could go call the insurance companies. Insurance companies tell me every day about the huge payouts they are having to pay because of the cost of climate change.Let me also talk about the opportunity, the $23 trillion opportunity of clean growth, as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, has called it.The Conservative Party does not understand that we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. We are going to do both. They will do neither.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to chair the task force currently working on this matter. I am just as qualified to answer the question. I certainly did not appreciate the comments my colleague made at the beginning of his question.We are working on this file. We are working with Quebec, Ontario, the other provinces, and the United States, of course, to manage this situation and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy on all issues related to indigenous people in this country. The Government of Canada does believe that the relationship with indigenous people is the most important one. As stated in the mandate letter of every minister, this new relationship must be based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership, and that is being fed into the new legal framework for rights recognition, as well as into the very important legislation being brought forward by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the Harper government did not consult the first nations enough on this energy project. Our government held the most comprehensive consultations with rights holders in the history of this country and we set up a review committee whose role was defined jointly with first nations communities. Some 43 indigenous communities signed agreements on the benefits and, for the first time in Canadian history, many indigenous peoples took part in the process. They benefited from it. As we share
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that he wants to increase the carbon tax. He wants to put it on goods because he believes that Canadians need to be told to make better choices. Basically, he is running on the no pain, no gain platform. The reality is that we do not know how much the pain will be, or is this just a real issue of the fact that it is all pain and no gain?
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing news that surf clam workers in Grand Bank are already having their hours cut. The minister says he has a plan. The minister says he stands with the people of Grand Bank. Will he stand with them in the unemployment line when they are struggling to find jobs? Will he stand with them when they are struggling to feed their families, or pay their mortgages, or send their kids to summer camp?If the minister is truly committed to standing with the people of Grand Bank, will he reverse his corrupt surf clam decision, recuse himself, and restart the process?
Mr. Speaker, 2018 is the Canada-China Year of Tourism, and it began with opening ceremonies right here in Canada. As part of our tourism vision, we are committed to doubling the number of Chinese visitors to Canada by 2021. Chinese tourists tend to spend more than the average visitor, so it is a great opportunity for our tourism operators, most of which are small businesses.This year we will invest $11 million to reach interested Chinese travellers and to support our tourism operators as they welcome more Chinese visitors to cities across Canada. Thanks in part to this investment and members like the member for StevestonRichmond East, we expect these numbers to continue growing.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are incredibly fortunate that Canadians look at immigrants and refugees, across party lines, as a potential benefit to Canada, as nation builders, not just as immigrants or refugees. We know that being compassionate and welcoming is one of the great strengths of Canada. We also know that applying the rules and the laws around our immigration system is essential for fairness, but it is also essential to ensure continued support for immigrants and refugees. That is exactly what we are doing. We are going to remain compassionate while ensuring that our laws are enforced.
Mr. Speaker, last November, this government announced Canada's first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home.Yesterday, the minister responsible for housing joined his Ontario counterpart to sign the first bilateral housing agreement under the national housing strategy. Could the minister tell the House how this agreement would provide housing relief for all Ontario residents?
Mr. Speaker, I would be happy after question period to hand over our analysis that shows that carbon pricing works and it can be done while growing the economy.Eighty percent of Canadians live in a provinceOntario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebecwhere there is a price on pollution. Guess what? Their economies were the fastest growing in the country.Once again, I ask the member opposite, What are you going to do? Under 10 years of the Harper government, you did nothing
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway. In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.
Mr. Speaker, first nations leaders are discussing federal legislation and whether the government is committed to the free, prior, and informed consent of first nations people. The government has said that its most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, but when it comes to implementing indigenous languages and protecting first nations' land and water, little has been done. When can first nations expect progress, and how has the government implemented the principles of free, prior, and informed consent into its agenda?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to pensions and strengthening pensions that this is a priority. That is why in the budget we clearly outlined a plan to make sure that we have a process in place to secure pensions. This has been a priority for our government. We also strengthened and enhanced the CPP. We will continue to work with members opposite to strengthen our pension system.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the member for VaughanWoodbridge for his tremendous work in support of the housing needs of his constituents. Yesterday's agreement provides for new investments of $4 billion to support the housing needs of Ontario families.Yesterday's new partnership is going to build and repair more homes. It is going to protect 130,000 Ontario families from the risk of losing their community home, and help deliver the new Canada housing benefit.We are back in supporting the housing needs of Canadians, and we are here to stay.
Well, Mr. Speaker, it might be a lot more sustainable if they would let us, as Canadians, build a pipeline to bring our own petroleum to market. However, going back to the matter at hand, there is no question that this carbon tax will raise the price of gasoline. The minister's own document says that it will go up by at least 11¢, and that is if we believe his numbers. Liberals also know how much this tax will cost the average Canadian family, but nobody will answer over there. Why will they not end this cover-up and tell us how much this tax will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to repeat what I said because it is the truth and it comes from Natural Resources Canada. The Conservatives' record from 2005 to 2015 is the following: a 2.2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 16.9% increase in GDP. That is the Conservative record. We lowered greenhouse gas emissions and grew the economy. We did that without the Liberal carbon tax. Why does the Prime Minister want to impose a tax on Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, what the party opposite does not seem to understand is that we can protect the security and safety of Canadians while meeting our international obligations for refugee protection. We have a proud record of doing both. The party opposite wants to set one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of division and fear that Canadians rejected in 2015.
Mr. Speaker, delays in passing legislative changes to improve the rail transportation system are entirely of the Liberals' own making. They wasted over a year between receiving the Emerson report and introducing Bill C-49. Now the Liberals are rejecting the simple amendments that would improve the legislation for grain shippers.Mr. Speaker, this may well be the strangest question you will hear today, but when will the government stop messing around and pass its own bill?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's lead ministers simply do not understand that they are very much out of touch with the reality of what's happening and the gravity of the issue that we are speaking of. I remember the days, and a lot of us do, of being able to put just five bucks in the gas tank in order to get to my work at the Dairy Queen, and there are people like that today in my riding who experience that. This is a serious matter that is going to affect the affordability of life for many Canadians. His government knows how much it costs. Why will he not tell them?
Mr. Speaker, we have been putting in place practical, low-cost measures to tackle climate change and drive clean growth, including pricing pollution. It is clear that the Conservatives have no intention of taking climate change seriously and have no plan to promote clean growth in Canada. This is exactly the kind of inaction we saw in 10 years under Stephen Harper, who still very much apparently controls the backbench of the Conservative Party, and these Conservatives are no different.
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have called the Iranian government elected, but the people of Iran and of the region know that this regime is the leading sponsor of global terror, murder, and violence. While this regime continues to deny responsibility for the murder of Canadians, the Liberal government is helping Iranian officials shop for aircraft, with high-level meetings here in Ottawa. Selling aircraft may be good for the shareholders of Bombardier, but how does it help the many victims?When will the government take off the rose-coloured glasses and end its failed appeasement policy?
Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has made a choice to brush truth and facts aside. The facts are that our government lowered GHG emissions and boosted the economy. The facts are that the Prime Minister, as a cabinet minister, has in his possession a document that shows how much more his Liberal carbon policy is going to cost Canadian families.Could the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians, be straight with Canadians, and table this infamous document so that Canadians know exactly how much the Liberal carbon tax is going to cost them?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we view immigration as something that matters to each and every individual who comes to Canada. That is why we improved processing times. That is why we welcomed over 51,000 Syrian refugees. That is why, under our leadership, we have been able to provide a home to 1,300 survivors of Daesh atrocities. What was the record on the Conservatives' watch? They brought a grand total of three Yazidi refugees to Canada. What was their record in terms of treatment of refugees? They cut refugee health care to the most vulnerable: pregnant women, victims of torture. That is their record.
Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight. We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.We will continue to raise the bar on openness--
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are yet again demonstrating not just their tenuous relationship with the truth, but also with the understanding that we have to take good, clean action on carbon. After 10 long years of the Harper Conservatives doing absolutely nothing on the environment, the same Conservatives show that they just do not get it.We are putting a price on carbon pollution because it will reduce emissions and drive growth in the right direction at the same time. While Harper Conservatives believe that by making the economy and the environment work together and that somehow Canada is broken, we will continue to invest in clean technology.
Mr. Speaker, we have been in talks with our American partners for months on a number of border-related issues, and this is what Canadians expect. However, the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States allows for proper management of asylum claims. This agreement is based on a principle recognized by the United Nations Refugee Agency that refugees must claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.That said, it is unfortunate that the NDP is using the Conservatives' fear tactics to sway Canadians. We are going to remain compassionate and ensure that everyone who should stay in Canada is able to do so.
Mr. Speaker, it was so important to the Liberals that they sat on the bill for a year and a half. They just introduced a 250-page omnibus voting bill, which is kind of ironic. Coincidentally, yesterday was also Elections Canada's deadline to pass legislation so it can run our elections fairly. After hitting the snooze button for more than a year and a half, the Liberals are now reaching for the panic button. One would think that, after betraying his promise that 2015 would be the last election under first past the post, the Prime Minister would have at least gotten his homework in on time. The voting system does not belong to the Liberals; it belongs to all Canadians. My question is simple. Will the Liberals commit to cross-country hearings so that all Canadians can have their voices heard?
Mr. Speaker, the National Research Council plays a vital role in research and innovation by developing exciting innovations that help create and develop jobs and improve the health system for all Canadians.From their work developing canola, an industry that employs over 250,000 Canadians, to their efforts to develop green technologies, the NRC researchers are essential to growing the Canadian economy.Could the minister tell us how our government is supporting the NRC in the important work it is doing for Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member also for his ongoing advocacy, particularly with respect to this issue. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide a road map for the journey of reconciliation, and our government, as he knows, is committed to working with partners, all partners, to ensure that all calls to action are implemented.Call to action 58 calls on the Pope to issue an apology to residential school survivors, their families, and communities. I have written to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to request a meeting to move this important step forward and hope that they will meet directly with survivors. I look forward to
Mr. Speaker, fact: On October 27, 2016, indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. Fact: Minutes later, in a meeting of six organizations, a top government official instructed her staff to give the cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the project. None of those present denied that this was said. In fact, one participant actually confirmed, I was rather shocked at being given that kind of direction. It's not something that I would have expected from a Liberal government.Will the Prime Minister release all of the information on the approval of the Kinder Morgan project?
Mr. Speaker, I think that the member opposite did not read the report that was released yesterday. There is clear evidence that putting a price on pollution works, and that also we could do that while growing a clean economy. We make decisions based on evidence. However, I have a question for the member opposite. What would his party do to tackle climate change? Do Conservatives even believe it is real, because they have no plan?
Mr. Speaker, we all know the story. It is Monday morning and a student realizes that he did not do his homework for that day. He jumps on the school bus, grabs a piece of paper, and tries to hammer something out at the last minute. This usually does not result in the best work. That is exactly what is going on with the Liberals and their electoral reform. They introduced a bill in November 2016. They then fell asleep at the switch and just woke up at the last minute.After breaking their main election promise, why are the Liberals introducing legislation now that will probably not be in effect in time for the next election?
Mr. Speaker, I wish the member opposite would not mislead people from British Columbia. If he understood economics, he would understand why the price is higher for gas in B.C. It has to do with a supply and demand issue. It has to do with exchange rates. We understand that polluting is not free. There is a real cost on Canadians. I wish he could tell all of the kids who are watching question period right now what he would do to ensure a more sustainable future for them.
Mr. Speaker, the work of reconciliation is far from done, but today is a good day, a historic day, as the Parliament of Canada reaches out directly to Pope Francis to ask him to work with us and to issue a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in establishing, running, and covering up the crimes of the residential schools.What formal steps will the Prime Minister take to express the will of Parliament to Pope Francis and to call on the Catholic bishops to pay the proper compensation for the crimes? It is about moral leadership.
Mr. Speaker, as stated a number of times, we continuously work with our American counterparts on all issues related to our common border, including discussions related to the safe third country agreement. What I have also stated on the record, numerous times, is that there are no formal negotiations with respect to the safe third country agreement. What I find very rich is the party opposite talking about the border and immigration processing, when its record on both of those issues is abysmal.
Mr. Speaker, here is what the Conservatives have been doing for 10 years. A document published by the Department of Natural Resources reports that greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 2.2% and GDP increased by 16.9%. That is the Conservatives' record. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister. Today, in the finance committee, government officials admitted that they have modelled the cost of the carbon tax to Canadian families. When I asked if they would share those calculations with the committee and with the people who will have to pay those taxes, the official said he cannot do that at this time. What the government wants is for Canadians to write a blank cheque, wherein the amounts will be written after that cheque is in the hands of the government. Why will the finance minister not end his carbon tax cover-up and tell us what this tax would cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, the environment minister cannot answer the question about how much this tax will cost Canadians. The finance minister will not answer the question about how much this will cost Canadians. The Prime Minister was unable to answer the question.I am trying to figure out which of these ministers has the answer. Why do we not just ask them all? How much, how much, how much, how much will the carbon tax cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to supporting research and innovation. I want to thank the member for OttawaVanier for her staunch defence of research in Canada.The NRC plays an essential role in developing new technologies that improve the lives of Canadians. Budget 2018 invested $540 million in the NRC to promote discovery research and to increase research collaboration with academic and industrial partners.
Mr. Speaker, today the American Department of Homeland Security told Canadian media that it is considering Canadian proposals to amend the safe third country agreement. After a full year of Conservatives demanding closing the loophole that incents people to illegally enter Canada while hundreds of thousands of others wait years to legally enter the country, we found out from the Americans that, in spite of the minister stating otherwise on the record, there are proposals on the table. What are those proposals?
Mr. Speaker, as we have said numerous times, we believe in a refugee system and we are a welcoming country, as long as people follow the rules. That is why we are working closely with the provinces, particularly Quebec and Ontario, and we are in constant communication with our American neighbours. There are many issues related to this situation that affect them. Yes, we are talking to them and we will continue to communicate with them so that we can manage this situation.
Mr. Speaker, to set the record straight, economic growth during the Harper years was lower than at any other time since the Great Depression, lower than under any other Canadian prime minister. In the past two and a half years, we have invested more money in the middle class, invested in infrastructure, and demonstrated that leadership on the environment and the economy go hand in hand. As a result, we ensured that Canada had the strongest record of growth in the G7 for the past year, and we are in the process of creating 600,000 new jobs.That is our record, and that is what Canadians chose.
Mr. Speaker, I wish that the party opposite would understand the cost of climate change right now.One of the hardest calls I ever had to make was to a rancher in Alberta, whose whole ranch burned down because of forest fires. There are people who are suffering from floods across the country. The Arctic is literally thawing, and they think it is a joke.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the Liberals just released a document yesterday saying that they will not meet their plan. They said they will not meet their target. They will come about 90 million tonnes short of meeting their target, and that is with their carbon tax.The minister said she spoke to a rancher in Alberta. Did she tell that rancher how much this carbon tax would cost him and his family?
Mr. Speaker, there is a real cost of climate change right now, and Canadians across the country are feeling it. We have people who are feeling the impacts of forest fires, floods, and droughts. The Arctic is literally melting, but they think it is a joke.We are taking serious action on climate change. We have a plan and we have a target, and we are going to meet it.
Mr. Speaker, last week, in light of concerns about the new central vote in the main estimates, I asked the President of the Treasury Board for a take-note debate on that matter. Today the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the vote is riddled with problems that pose serious challenges to parliamentary oversight of government spending.In light of those concerns, in light of the fact that it is wrong for the government to make unilateral changes to the foundations of Parliament, instead of making it look like the government has something to hide, will the minister today commit to having a take-note debate in the House on that matter?
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the finance minister is still in hiding and cannot answer questions about his own budget, but we will find out if there is anyone over there who can answer this question.Today, gas prices in Vancouver have reached a record $1.60. Consumers are suffering. Families are paying more, and it is going to get a lot worse under this proposed Liberal carbon tax. The government knows how much this tax would cost families. Why will the Liberals not tell Canadians how much it will cost the average family?
Mr. Speaker, I suggest the hon. member actually talk to some of her colleagues from British Columbia where they have had a price on carbon pollution for years and have among the strongest economic growth in the country. Eighty-five per cent of Canadians now live in jurisdictions where they have put a price on carbon pollution, and Canadians understand that growing the economy at the same time as we protect the environment is the only way forward. The Harper Conservatives still demonstrate that they do not get it. They are stuck in what they were doing for 10 years. Canadians had enough.
Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is trying to muddy the waters. Its members know very clearly that refugees are processed in a different stream, by the Immigration and Refugee Board, and other immigrants are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Let us talk about processing times. Under the Conservatives, the processing time for spouses was more than 26 months. Spouses, children, and families were kept apart for a very long time. We have brought that down to 12 months or less.Let us talk about the live-in caregiver program. Families were kept apart for five to seven years. We have reduced that to 12 months or less.We have a great
Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that his Liberal friends who have all this experience now admit that they will not be fishing the surf clam this season, and maybe not even next season. Why? Because they do not have a boat. They gave the lucrative quota to his Liberal buddies, knowing full well that their application did not meet critical bid criteria. If the Liberal MPs from the Rock will not say it, looking after his Liberal buddies is shameful.Given this new information, will the minister finally do the right thing and reverse this questionable decision?
Mr. Speaker, we learned today that the government is trying to negotiate an invisible wall for asylum seekers. In public, the Prime Minister says that he welcomes refugees, but behind closed doors, he is trying to send them back to the United States. The ministers responsible refuse to answer questions.Will the government be clear and confirm whether it is trying to renegotiate the safe third country agreement?
Mr. Speaker, as long as Maryam Mombeini is not able to leave Iran, the focus of any discussions with Iran will be on getting her home to Canada. I have raised Mrs. Mombeini's situation directly with Iran's ambassador to the UN. I will continue, and our government will continue, to demand answers from the government of Iran on the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of her late husband, professor Seyed-Emami.Human rights are important to us around the world, very much including in Iran.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that with the co-operation of the Harper Conservatives, we are going to be able to do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they do not know whether they are coming or going. Last November they actually voted against Bill C-49. For 10 long years they had a chance to demonstrate initiative by modernizing freight rail legislation. Did they do it? No, they were totally absent.
Mr. Speaker, October 27, 2016, is a problematic date for the Prime Minister. That is the day that indigenous groups were told that no decision had been made on the Kinder Morgan project. A few minutes later, six organizations heard the assistant deputy minister, Erin O'Gorman, instruct her staff to provide cabinet all legal grounds to say yes to this project. None of her representatives denied that these comments were made. The only people who deny it are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources.Will they release all the documents related to the approval of this project?
Mr. Speaker, I have a question. What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan? What is your climate plan?
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from constituents who are frustrated by wait times to sponsor their families. There is a strict limit on the number of family members who can come to Canada, yet there seems to be no limit to the number of illegal border crossers who are allowed in. Can the Prime Minister please explain how it is fair to keep families apart while rewarding those who break the law?
Mr. Speaker, our system of immigration puts priority on the safety and security of Canadians while continuing to meet our international obligations. Let us talk about the Conservatives' record. They had an abysmal record when it came to refugees, privately sponsored or government-sponsored. They cut refugee health care. They pit one group of immigrants against another. That is the politics of fear and division that Canadians resoundingly rejected in 2015. With rhetoric like that, the Conservatives will spend another decade in opposition.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil published a letter from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in which he complains that the solutions proposed by the Conservatives to stop illegal migrants from entering the country would not solve anything. At the same time, we learned that the Liberals are negotiating changes to the safe third country agreement with the Americans. Can the minister tell us what sort of arrangements he is negotiating?
Mr. Speaker, on October 17, I introduced Bill C-372 to protect retired workers' pension funds and group insurance plans. The NDP tabled a similar bill. The Liberal Party convention voted in favour of similar measures. Even the Leader of the Opposition voted for a bill similar to mine in 2010. Let us put an end to injustice.Since today is May 1, will the government pledge to protect our workers' pension funds before the next election? Yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, she should know, because she actually followed the Conservative targets on climate change.We saw greenhouse gases go down at the same time as taxes went down under the previous Conservative government. We saved people money while protecting the economy.Will the government finally answer the question, how much will a Canadian family have to pay for this new Liberal carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, what we actually did was improve the process by adding additional steps and additional consultations to the flawed process put in place by the Harper government.We know that moving forward on resources requires that we demonstrate leadership on the environment and a plan to grow the economy sustainably. That is exactly what we did. We strengthened the approval process. We did extra consultations. We are moving forward with the project in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member what that is code for. Our #WelcomeToCanada Prime Minister does not want to walk his tweet back and alienate NDP voters, so he is happy to negotiate in secret with the Americans, hoping he can blame their delay for his lack of political will. In the meantime, tens of thousands of people have been streaming, and continue to stream, illegally across our borders. How will the Americans, or anyone, take the Prime Minister seriously when he is pandering for votes instead of managing our borders?
Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are rolling, the Prime Minister wants people to regard him as a global humanitarian, but, behind closed doors, his government is quietly working to shut down Canada's border to asylum seekers who are forced to risk life and limb to get to safety. This has been happening since September of last year. The double-talk does not stop there. It was just last week that his Minister of Immigration said that having one continuous official border crossing all 9,000 kilometres is not a real solution. Liberals and Conservatives, what is the difference?
Mr. Speaker, a Canadian, Roxanna, has been trying to privately sponsor a refugee from Djibouti, and the wait time is up to seven years long, yet there are people walking across the border illegally who immediately get to stay in Canada. Canadians and those who wish to come to Canada legally are frustrated. Why is the Prime Minister rewarding those who break the law and punishing those who play by the rules?
Mr. Speaker, according to a media report, the Department of Justice fought hard to have a Canadian, Hassan Diab, extradited, even though the case would not stand up in court because of insufficient or unreliable evidence. This speaks volumes about the government's commitment to human rights, especially given that he is a Canadian citizen.What has the government been doing since Mr. Diab returned to Canada to ensure that this nightmare never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, if these Conservatives want to run another campaign based on how well they did during the Harper years, I urge them to do so. Canadians rejected the approach of the Harper government, which presided over the worst record of economic growth since the Great Depression, was unable to create energy jobs in new markets, and failed to provide Canadians with the future they needed. Canadians made a choice: they rejected Harper and his Conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, the biggest engagement the government had was using a low burden of proof to extradite Mr. Diab to France, a burden of proof that was so insufficient that it did not hold up in a French court.A 2006 Supreme Court ruling said that courts have to stop rubber-stamping extradition requests and start weighing the evidence presented by foreign countries. Can the minister explain how the Department of Justice is supposed to deal with this issue when it is investigating itself? When will it fix this broken extradition system that people are paying for with their livelihood?
Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are mismanaging our immigration system. Just in the past year, over 20,000 asylum seekers have illegally crossed the border into Canada. The Prime Minister's policy is encouraging illegal immigrants to jump the queue while those who follow the rules have to wait longer. Can the Prime Minister explain to me how that is fair?
Mr. Speaker, this year thousands of people will cross into Canada illegally. The Prime Minister created this mess with his tweet, and he is providing special treatment to those who skip the line and enter Canada illegally. What message does this send to the thousands of immigrants who have followed the rules?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister was asked a simple question, whether Canadians can expect to pay higher fuel prices with the carbon tax. His response was a bit jarring. He said, yes, and that is what Canadians expect because that is leadership.What the Prime Minister views as leadership is literally terrifying to widows and single moms across this country. At the very least, they deserve to know one thing. How much will the carbon tax cost them?
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman needs to understand the rules. In fact, when people cross the border inconsistently with the rules, they are arrested and questioned. They are identified, both biographically and biometrically, and their identity is checked against every Canadian and U.S. database for any immigration, criminal, or security flags. Then they are required, in fact, to prove the necessity for protection in Canada. If they cannot prove that, their admissibility is denied, and they are removed from the country.