Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
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Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the excellent work of Davie workers, who did an outstanding job delivering the Asterix. We recognize how important it is to continue to support them through good jobs that create opportunities for Canadians, including those in Saguenay.As I said, we are in the process of negotiating a contract for a number of icebreakers with the Davie shipyard. We are still negotiating to find the best approach for Canadians and workers. That is what we will continue to do.
Mr. Speaker, reconciliation with first nations also involves creating economic opportunities for them. We are proud of the approach we have taken to create economic growth for indigenous communities.With regard to the Arctic surf clam, I am very proud of what we are doing, and we will continue to create opportunities for indigenous peoples. If they have questions or concerns, I suggest that our friends across the way speak to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. However, I can say that everything is being done by the rules on this side of the House.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reassure the member, everyone in the House, and all Canadians. No matter how many people arrive at our borders, we will continue to apply the principles of immigration with integrity. Under our rigorous system and with all the laws Canada has in place, we will continue to protect the integrity not only of our territory, but also of our immigration system. This is what Canadians expect and that is why we, as citizens, still have confidence in our immigration and refugee acceptance system.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system.We have every confidence that under his leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House.
Mr. Speaker, after a rigorous, open, and merit-based process, Mr. Stéphane Perrault has emerged as the most qualified candidate for the position of Chief Electoral Officer. With over 20 years serving in government, he has extensive knowledge and understanding of the Canada Elections Act and the Canadian parliamentary system. We have every confidence that under his continued leadership, Elections Canada will be more than ready for the 2019 federal election. We have submitted an excellent candidate to the House, and we hope that all members will confirm his appointment.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Heckling at the best of times in the House is disruptive. Today you heard an offensive echo from the member for Provencher that women do not have the right to choose. I humbly request that you ask him to withdraw his assertion.
Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, Canada is proud to lead the way on nuclear disarmament and countering nuclear arms by leading on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know that leadership matters, and it actually has an impact on behaviours around the world. It is what the world expects of Canada, and that is what we will continue to do. That is why we are standing alongside the international community in continuing to hold Iran to account and keeping the JCPOA in place. We regret the decision by the United States to pull out, but we are still hopeful that we are going to be able to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her question on the good regulatory practices chapter of the NAFTA negotiations. Making sure nothing impedes our government's ability to implement needed regulations is an important principle in which we believe. This is about encouraging regulatory harmonization where it makes sense to do so. As with any agreement, it will be tabled in the House. At this point, we are still in the negotiating process, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to provide a briefing on this topic to the member for SaanichGulf Islands, or any other member, if they request it.
Mr. Speaker, from the day we took office, we have been working with provinces where access to these services was inconsistent or non-existent and making sure they started offering women reproductive health services and protection and respecting women's choices. We on this side of the House, along with the NDP, understand that women unequivocally have the right to decide what to do with their bodies, and we are always going to stand up for that right, regardless of what the Conservatives think or say.
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, our reforms of electoral financing and of the electoral system resulted in more transparency and more rules to limit the influence of money in our political process. We need to create opportunities for people to listen to and fully participate in debates without being influenced by money. That is precisely the type of reform we are bringing in. That is what Canadians expect and that is what we are doing.
That is not what the Liberals have done at all, Mr. Speaker. Every time the Prime Minister does not get his own way, he responds by rigging the rules to benefit his own party. When he did not get the electoral system he wanted, he abandoned all plans for democratic reform. When the opposition parties proved too effective in the House of Commons, he tried to take all the tools away from parties that sat opposite from him. Now, instead developing policies that encourage more Canadians to donate to the Liberal Party, the Prime Minister is trying to rig the next election by imposing punitive rule changes on his opponents.Why is the Prime Minister restricting the activities of political parties, but making it easier for U.S.-style super PACs to spend huge sums of money?
The UN is about to embark on its periodic review of Canada's human rights performance. Safe and equal access to abortion is one of those rights. While the Prime Minister boasts about being a feminist at five-star receptions with the rich and famous, many Canadian women are struggling to access treatments they are entitled to. That is unacceptable. What concrete steps is the Prime Minister going to take to ensure that every woman has access to safe abortion?
Mr. Speaker, as a business owner, I am familiar with the challenges of attracting investments and funding to transform an idea into a profitable business.We are in an international race for innovation, so we must ensure that our business owners have quick access to funding to transform their ideas into reality. This is why I was happy to hear recently that Salesforce would launch a new venture capital fund worth more than $100 million.My question is for the Prime Minister. What are we doing to make it easier for our business owners to access funding?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Conservatives would have had a better record on job growth and economic growth during their time in office had they actually paid attention to facts. In fact, Canada is among the OECD countries with the greatest ease of doing business. We have consistently demonstrated through the high calibre of hard work that Canadians are willing to do, our great education system, and our confidence in the future that these are the things investors around the world are looking for. We are drawing in record numbers of investments in extraordinary fields across the country
Mr. Speaker, it has come up a few times in this question period that the Conservatives seem to have an issue with the idea of swagger, the idea of Canadians being strong and proud on the world stage, of Canadians understanding that being back on the world stage, being positively engaged, being confident about our investments in AI, our investments in new technologies, and our investments in the economy of the future, are things to be proud of here in Canada.No, we will not apologize for swaggering when it comes to talking about Canada and being confident in the future that we are building together.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to support the process surrounding the Iran nuclear deal. We know that it is an effective international agreement that depends on cohesion within the international community to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. This issue is extremely important to us and we are proud to support our allies.We regret the decision by the United States. It is a step in the wrong direction. We believe, and have said it to our American friends, that the best thing to do is to work together to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons
Mr. Speaker, this is a right, and everyone needs to understand that.
Mr. Speaker, unlike the members opposite, we believe that more Canadians should vote. We know that making young people aware, so that when they turn 18 they are able to vote in a smooth and easy way, is a really important principle. Unlike the Conservatives, who actually prevented Elections Canada from doing youth outreach to encourage young people to learn about our electoral system, we believe that bringing young people into the political system in a responsible and respectful way is actually good for our democracy, and we are excited about this process.
Mr. Speaker, the minister personally intervened in the surf clam process. He ordered the department to award the lucrative contract to a group that did not have a boat, that did not have multiple first nations partners, that were not even incorporated. What they did have was close family ties to the minister and to the Liberal Party.Does the Prime Minister think it is appropriate that the minister is awarding million-dollar contracts to the Liberals and his own family members?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for his question and for his work.We support Canadian entrepreneurs by helping them access capital and gain technical expertise. The Canada Trailblazer Fund, recently launched by Salesforce, is a wonderful example of how our business owners can attract international investments.We are also investing $400 million to make late-stage venture capital more accessible in Canada. This could inject up to $1.5 billion into Canada's economy to help the middle class.
Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister is once again selling Canadians down the river, and that is no fish tale.Everyone knows that the Liberal Party always favours its friends over clear, fair, transparent, and equitable processes. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard likely meddled in the granting of fishing licences for popular and lucrative shellfish. Why did he once again favour his friends, rather than keeping the much-desired peace with the first nations?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this opportunity to set the record straight.There was a record number of Canadians voting in the last election not because of changes the Conservatives made to the Canada Elections Act, but in spite of changes they made to the Canada Elections Act, and more specifically, because of the people involved in changing the elections, Canadians went out to vote against Stephen Harper, not anything that Stephen Harper actually did to encourage them to vote.Let us be very clear about why Canadians voted in record numbers in the last election. It was about getting the Conservatives out of office.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we know that it is the Conservative Party of Canada when it was in government that tried to tilt the rules to prevent people from voting and to make more money available for political parties because it helped the Conservatives. They extended the writ period to try and outspend everyone. However, Canadians did not buy any of what they were selling. That is why the Conservatives are now on that side of the House.We have put forward proposals to reform the Canada Elections Act. We look forward to that proposal getting to committee, and hearing any and all of the suggestions the members opposite will make to improve and strengthen the act.
Mr. Speaker, recently the Prime Minister was in British Columbia lecturing Canadians on their personal behaviour. In fact, he was expressing his joy at the high gas prices, saying it was exactly what we want. We know that millionaires like the Prime Minister can afford to pay higher gas prices, but hard-working moms and dads do not have the luxury to pay thousands more in new taxes. Therefore, how high does the cost of gas have to get before people start behaving the way the Prime Minister wants them to?
Mr. Speaker, we know that places across the country, such as Kelowna, Alberta, Ontario, and especially New Brunswick, are facing many challenges associated with flooding. As always, we are working very closely with local authorities so we can be on the spot if federal intervention is needed. We are very pleased with the collaboration so far. We have dispatched the Coast Guard to help New Brunswick. We are going to continue to be there to provide constant support to flood victims, their families, and communities right across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work in standing up and fighting for women's rights right across the country. We agree with her. We know that safe and easy access, responsible access, affordable access to reproductive health services, including abortions, is of fundamental importance to all Canadians. That is why we moved forward on ensuring that all provinces are offering that. We continue to work right across the country to ensure that the Canada Health Act is brought in. We will always be unequivocal in standing up for a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, the stresses in our immigration system are largely holdovers from a Conservative government that did not invest in the kind of supports for our immigration system, that cut resources to the Canada Border Services Agency, and that continued to underinvest in the important processes that keep Canadians safe.In regard to seniors, unlike the Stephen Harper Conservatives, we actually are decreasing the age of retirement from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for seniors, and we have made new investments in the new horizons for seniors program, which is going a long way to support them.
Mr. Speaker, a record number of Canadians voted in the last election for one reason, and that was to bring about real change and get Stephen Harper out of the prime minister's office. It worked. We will continue to roll back Mr. Harper's changes to our electoral system, which the Conservatives still deplore. We will make it easier for people to vote. We will encourage youth to learn more about our electoral system. We will limit the role of money and third parties in our electoral process because we believe that it is important to defend the integrity of our electoral system.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to hear about our plan. We have engaged with communities in the United States, in southern California and Florida, to talk about the rigour with which we apply our immigration system, and to ensure that they know that regardless of how many come to Canada, we will always be able to apply the entirety of our immigration system, of our rules, of our laws, to any arrival in this country. That is what Canadians need to know. Regardless of expected or unexpected arrivals, we have a system that is strong and robust enough to deal with it. The fear that the Conservatives are trying to spread is not helping Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is actually running away from his responsibilities here. It is a cop-out. I would like to remind everyone that the Prime Minister has not hesitated in giving special treatment to terrorists, such as offering classes for returning terrorists in poetry and podcasting, and of course he loves writing cheques for $10 million. Canadian ISIS terrorist Abu Huzaifa is walking freely on our streets, even though he publicly confessed to joining a terrorist group, sadistically enforcing sharia law, and slaughtering dissidents like they were animals.When will the Prime Minister finally imprison ISIS terrorists instead of allowing them to use Canada as a safe haven?
Mr. Speaker, our changes led to more Canadians voting in the last election than in many elections before for years and years.It is clear that the Liberal Party cannot attract support from Canadians themselves. They have had abysmal numbers fundraising, encouraging Canadians to make free decisions to donate to them. The Prime Minister is imposing restrictions on what other political parties can do with the money that Canadians freely donated to those parties.I have a simple question. Will the Prime Minister implement the same ban on ministerial travel and government advertising in the pre-writ
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the perspective of the member opposite, but let me remind her that at the centre of the process around the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are families. That is why we are focused on a family-centric approach. That is why the commission is focused on hearing from as many families as possible and engaging with them in a responsible way. The inquiry is fundamentally about getting justice for the victims, getting healing for the families, and putting an end to this ongoing national tragedy, and that is what the inquiry is doing.
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that, tomorrow, the Prime Minister will finally visit the riding of Saguenay, which has been without an MP for months now.This will be a good opportunity for him, in between selfies of course, to finally keep the promise he made in January, because Saguenay needs icebreakers for its economic development. Thousands of jobs depend on them. The Coast Guard fleet is aging, and it is urgent that the Prime Minister make a decision now to prepare for next winter. Will the Prime Minister finally award the Davie shipyard the contract to build four icebreakers, including the Aiviq, in order to help people in Saguenay continue to prosper?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the same divisive approach from the Conservatives, pitting newest arrivals against recent arrivals, pitting one community of new Canadians against another community of new Canadians. That approach was what they founded their 2015 election campaign on. It did not work with Canadians then, and the kind of fear and division they are now trying to peddle is not working with Canadians now.We are ensuring the application in its entirety of our immigration rules, laws, and processes. We are ensuring that we continue to be an open country that applies the rules.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives did not get it done. They could not get one kilometre of pipeline to new markets in 10 years, regardless of all the boosterism they had for the oil patch and Alberta. What we have actually done is roll up our sleeves, and we are getting things done. We got the Trans Mountain pipeline approved, and we are moving forward on getting it built. We are working to demonstrate to Canadians that, unlike Stephen Harper and his gang, we understand that the environment and the economy need to go together and that we need to bring indigenous people into the success of our country, and that is what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, it would have been better if he had just said, Your call is important to us; please stay on the line.When it comes to the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the threats to our environment are well known. The threats to first nations rights and title are also well known. Now we have a new threat to the Canadian taxpayer. Not only did the Liberals break their promise to put the pipeline under a proper environmental review, and break their promise to respect first nations rights and title, the Prime Minister is now negotiating in secret a public bailout to help an American oil giant ship Canadian raw bitumen to China.Why will the Liberals not simply come clean and tell us how many billions this is going to cost us and how much damage they are willing to do to our environment and to first nations rights?
Mr. Speaker, once again, there are layers of erroneous information in the question that the hon. member just asked.First of all, we strengthened the environmental assessment process for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and did more consultation with indigenous peoples. We have actually got to the point where there are over 40 different first nations organizations that have signed cost-benefit agreements and are very supportive of this pipeline expansion project, something which the NDP never talks about.Furthermore, we have committed that we are going to get this pipeline built because it is in the interests of Canadians, and we are engaged in financial discussions to do so.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, all our thoughts with the people across the country affected by floods and with the first responders and volunteers working so hard to keep them safe. I thank the member for Saint JohnRothesay for his question and his New Brunswick colleagues for the work they have done to help their constituents during this tough time.We have responded to all of the provinces' requests for assistance, including Coast Guard rescue boats and RCMP security patrols. We are, as always, in very close contact with provincial authorities in New Brunswick and across the country and we remain ready to respond quickly to any additional requests.
Mr. Speaker, after breaking its promise of electoral reform, the Liberal government is now putting democratic institutions in jeopardy. The Chief Electoral Officer is an officer of Parliament who is appointed for 10 years, and when he or she leaves, we know months in advance. In this case, the government has known for more than 17 months.We are now 18 months away from an election, and the Liberals have proposed two candidates in less than three weeks, and we have just seven days to review them.Does the Prime Minister still consider this to be an open, transparent, and merit-based process?
Mr. Speaker, on the topic of investor confidence in Canada, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the reason businesses were not successful at attracting investment to Canada was that they lacked swagger. I guess that is a new economic indicator he decided to make up on the fly. What businesses know is that it is the high cost of doing business in Canada, the higher and new taxes, and the unrelenting regulatory processes projects are put through that cause the problems. Will the Prime Minister admit that he should not have blamed CEOs in the country for failed Liberal policy?
Mr. Speaker, in this House, as we have seen from time to time, there are accusations of ethical impropriety thrown as political attacks.What we have is a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, who is in charge of evaluating the facts and making dispassionate findings that Canadians can have confidence in. If members are making accusations around ethics and conflict of interest, they should work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that everything is being followed.I can assure members that on this side of the House, we respect the work of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and follow their instructions.
Mr. Speaker, despite the risk of nuclear conflict being as high as it has ever been, the Liberal government has done nothing on nuclear non-proliferation. Now, the Iran nuclear deal, which was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council as a binding resolution, is at risk. The U.S. withdrawal from the deal represents a dangerous moment for international peace and security, and shows growing disrespect for international law. This leaves the nuclear prohibition treaty as the world's greatest hope for preventing nuclear war.Why will the government not embrace the rules-based multilateral system it claims to champion and finally sign the treaty?
Mr. Speaker, people in New Brunswick, including in my riding of Saint JohnRothesay, have been hit hard by flooding. There have been evacuations, road closures, power outages, and boil water advisories because of possible sewage contamination. We are very grateful for the first responders and everyone else who has been helping friends, neighbours, and strangers impacted by the floods. Can the Prime Minister tell us how the government is supporting response and rescue efforts?
Mr. Speaker, as the nice weather arrives, thousands of illegal border crossers are expected to arrive with it, spurred on by the Prime Minister's reckless tweet. While the Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for these queue jumpers, people who came to Canada legally are forced to wait even longer to be reunited with their families.Can the Prime Minister tell newcomers in my riding how this is fair?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that I said no such thing. The Conservatives are continuing to try and create fear and division among Canadians as a way of justifying their continued desire to do nothing to reduce the impacts of climate change, to do nothing to protect the environment. That is what they did for 10 years under Stephen Harper and that is what they are continuing to do in their approach. We on this side of the House agree with Canadians that it is time to protect the environment and grow the economy together. That is exactly what we are doing. The Conservatives do not even have a plan.
Mr. Speaker, we understand that for the Conservatives mudslinging is just a way of doing politics and personal attacks are all they seem to have to go on, because it is really hard to attack us on the number one growth record in the G7 and on the creation of 600,000 jobs. They stick with the ethical attacks, which is fine, but Canadians need to know that we have a Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner who is there to look into the facts of the matter and make determinations on whether or not the mudslinging is grounded or groundless.
Mr. Speaker, a little known and anti-democratic provision of the trans-Pacific partnership appears to be making its way into NAFTA. It is called chapter 25 in the TPP. What it does is reduce the abilities of governments to pass regulations in the public interest and expand the powers of foreign corporations to object to regulations. My question to the Prime Minister is, is this true? Is the so-called regulatory coherence provision from the TPP entering NAFTA, and will this Parliament have a full opportunity to study, debate, and vote on NAFTA before we sign the bottom line?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, Canadians voted in very large numbers. In fact, it was the largest voter turnout in Canada's history. However, millions of Canadians have been disillusioned with the broken promises, especially those concerning electoral reform. We remember the Prime Minister, hand on his heart, saying that the 2015 election would be the last vote of its kind and that it would be different next time. What happened to his platform? He threw it away and did not even bother to recycle it. What credibility does the Prime Minister have on election reform given all the recommendations and changes he has made?
Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to put an end to this national tragedy. The independent commission's mandate is clear: families must be at the centre of their work. We are determined to give families long-awaited answers about the systemic and institutional failures that resulted in this tragedy.Our government is also taking immediate steps by investing in women's shelters, housing, and education, reforming early childhood services, and making the Highway of Tears safer.
Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister faces opposition either in this House or with the public, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit what political parties can do with the money that Canadians have freely given to political parties. I have a very simple question. Will he impose the same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising in the lead-up to the next election campaign?
Mr. Speaker, this Friday, Canada will be held accountable for its human rights record at our third periodic review at the UN. Safe and equal access to abortion is the right of all Canadians, yet this access remains shockingly inconsistent. Women living in rural areas often travel unacceptable distances to access an abortion clinic. It is unconscionable. When will the government use the Canada Health Act to grant all Canadians their right to safe and equal access to abortion?
Mr. Speaker, once again, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that we have strengthened the process. We have added steps to the environmental assessment and first nations and indigenous consultation process to ensure that we are not following the broken process that was in place under Stephen Harper. We needed to create a more robust system, and that is exactly what we did. As for the financial discussions, we know that this is a project of common interest, of public interest, and we are going to move forward with it in a responsible way.
Mr. Speaker, recently released court documents in the surf clam legal battle reveal that the group called Five Nations that was supposed to satisfy indigenous involvement in the fishery is actually 75% owned by the brother of a Liberal MP.What we have also learned through the recently released documents is that Five Nations is headed by Gilles Theriault. Who is Gilles Theriault, one might ask? He is none other than cousin of the minister's wife.Was the Prime Minister aware of the minister's family connections in this bid?
Mr. Speaker, expert and institutional hearings of the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry are about to begin, and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the only indigenous political organization in B.C. with standing, has pulled out because the hearings do not allow for a rigorous examination of the systems that contribute to violence against indigenous women and girls, and the UBCIC will not sit idly by as Canada touts an incomplete process as a success. What action will the Prime Minister take to fix this dire situation?
Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of Canada just released a report criticizing the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The association found that the inquiry lacked transparency and focused on the wrong things. The report assigned a failing grade in five of the 15 areas assessed and found that action was required in five other areas. This inquiry is without doubt one of the most important in our history.Does the Prime Minister realize that someone is asleep at the switch and that that someone might be his government?
Mr. Speaker, New Brunswick is currently grappling with the worst flooding seen in recent years. Water levels are starting to go down, but the situation remains urgent, and normalcy is still far off. Many roads are still closed, and residents are still waiting to find out when they can go home. We know the damage will be significant, and a lot of cleanup and decontamination will be required. What is the government going to do to help the province and flood victims get back on their feet quickly?
Mr. Speaker, everyone who crosses the border irregularly is arrested. That is what happens everywhere in the country, and that is what people expect to see.After that, we look into those people's files because, under international conventions, we have an obligation to allow people who claim refugee status to show that they need asylum, that they need to be recognized as refugees. We conduct a very rigorous assessment of their claim. If we determine that they are not real refugees, then they are sent back to their country of origin. We have a system in place and it is carefully followed, regardless of how people enter our country.
Mr. Speaker, that was not the question, was it? How many people are going to cross the border illegally from the United States into Canada this year to claim asylum? It takes a plan to bring humanitarian immigration to Canada. We need to ensure that there are resources for integration, which the government is not doing. We need to ensure that the world's most vulnerable are protected. We cannot do that without anticipating numbers. How many people is the Prime Minister anticipating will cross the border illegally from the U.S. into Canada to claim asylum this year?
Mr. Speaker, in addition to a number of changes that weaken the integrity of our electoral system, the Liberals are also attempting to establish a register of future electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Could the Prime Minister please confirm that he will not allow the private information of 14-year-olds to be handed out to political parties or to anyone seeking public office?
Mr. Speaker, what we have been able to do over the past two and a half years, investing in Canadians, investing in infrastructure, and demonstrating that we understand that growing the economy and protecting the environment go together, has led to tremendous new investments and confidence in Canadians, consumers, and investors. That is, quite frankly, a long shot from the terrible performance of the Conservatives under Stephen Harper. What they consistently did not understand was that giving confidence to Canadians in the future and growing the economy in responsible ways
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals used the same process as the Harper Conservatives and he calls it strengthened. I cannot believe it.Kinder Morgan's arbitrary deadline of May 31 is just around the corner. The government is clearly in panic mode. It has been reported that Kinder Morgan is demanding $10 billion in compensation or investment from the federal government due to problems with the approval of the pipeline. This is the same Liberal government that promised in 2015 to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry. My question is simple. Is the government going to give Kinder Morgan $10 billion?
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is being blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly, which is meant to bring countries together to work on health issues. Fifteen years ago, Canada and Taiwan were on the front lines of the SARS crisis, and that shows why Taiwan should be a participant.Will the Prime Minister show some global swagger and take a public position in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, or will he remain silent due to his admiration for basic dictatorships?
Mr. Speaker, our plan will not involve raising taxes on hard-working middle-class Canadians.The Prime Minister broke his promise of democratic reform when he was unable to rig the election system in the Liberals' favour. He then tried to fiddle with the parliamentary rules to weaken the opposition. When the Liberals have problems raising funds, their solution is to impose restrictions on their opponents who do not have the same problems. Why is the Prime Minister imposing new rules on political parties and encouraging American-style super PACs that will allow foreign money to meddle in our elections?
Mr. Speaker, once again we see the Conservatives trying to drum up fear as a way of political attack. We have every reason to be responsible and serious about how we protect the integrity of Canadians and the safety of our communities, but quite frankly, illustrations like the one in that question, or, for example, the attack ads the Conservatives put out that featured footage of ISIS executions, for political gain, are below the norm and should not be acceptable in Canada. The Conservatives will have a lot to answer for if they are going to keep up that same approach in the upcoming election.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's carbon tax increases the price of everything. When businesses are forced to raise their prices, it becomes harder to do business. When they are forced to compete with business that do not have these costs, they become less competitive and that hurts the economy and kills jobs. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring the economic cost of his carbon tax? Will he finally tell Canadians exactly how much this tax will cost the economy?
Mr. Speaker, it is not a great surprise that the Conservatives do not understand the least bit about what we are doing with electoral financing reform. Their idea of improving the Canada Elections Act in the last government was to make it harder for people to vote, while making it easier for wealthy people to participate in the financing of political parties. We took the opposite approach. We know that limiting the influence of money in our political system is for the benefit of Canadians and to the benefit of our entire political system.
Mr. Speaker, we saw that approach for 10 years under the Harper government, which made excuses for not taking action to protect the environment. By failing to protect the environment, the Conservatives also failed to meet their responsibility to create sustainable economic growth for the future. We know that by putting a price on carbon-based pollution and by working with communities across the country we can grow the economy while meeting our need to protect the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we learned that the President of the United States was planning to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development rejected my motion calling for a study on Canada's role in the Middle East.That comes as no surprise, given that the government refuses to discuss important issues such as Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Saudi Arabia. This is a dangerous time for international security.Has the government signalled to our European allies its support for the Iran nuclear deal, and what will it do to ensure that it survives?
Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. For 10 years, Stephen Harper had the worst growth rate in Canadian history since R.B. Bennett in the depths of the Great Depression. Over the past two and a half years, we have created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and last year we actually had the fastest growth in the entire G7. Our plan of investing in the middle class, giving confidence to Canadians, and giving confidence to investors is exactly what is working for Canadians, and the Conservatives do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, for more than a year and a half, the Liberals knew that we had to hire a new Chief Electoral Officer and they did nothing. For more than a year and a half, the Liberals sat on a bill to undo the worst of Stephen Harper's unfair elections act and they did nothing. Now, with less than a year and a half to go before the next election, the Liberals are panicking. Rather than work with us, they sent us a letter a few weeks ago with just one name on it for a new Chief Electoral Officer. Then just last week, they sent us another letter with another name on it, but a different guy. Canadians want to know: what happened to the first guy? When it comes to our democratic rights, why do Liberals have such a hard time getting the job done?
Mr. Speaker, once again we saw this approach by the previous government in the last election. It does not work to try to scare and divide Canadians. Our security agencies take all potential threats very seriously and use the full tool kit of measures, including surveillance, the no-fly list, revoking passports, and laying criminal charges when sufficient evidence exists. The expertise of Canadian security and law enforcement professionals is highly respected around the world. Our security services are doing their work in spite of over a billion dollars in cuts they suffered under the Harper government.
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House agrees that Canada is an open and welcoming country. That is not the problem. People are crossing our border illegally. Our border guards are exhausted and the cost of managing the situation continues to rise. Unfortunately, the Liberals are incapable of showing leadership on this file.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Will he step up and make sure that our Canadian border is secure?
Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts provided by the government. We know that over 25,000 illegal migrants crossed the border in 2017. The government says that 90% of refugee applications are rejected, but only 243 people have been removed from Canada. Can the Prime Minister tell us how many illegal migrants will cross the Canada-U.S. border over the next few months? Will it be 10,000, 50,000, or 100,000?
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Prime Minister killed northern gateway, killed energy east, killed the Pacific NorthWest LNG, and now Trans Mountain is hanging by a thread. A new report says that Canada's energy sector will lose $15.8 billion this year as a direct result of cancelled pipelines. Canadian oil producers are forced to sell to the U.S. at lower prices. The Liberals are driving investment out of Canada at record levels, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs in all sectors and billions of dollars in investment and government revenue.When will the Prime Minister champion energy investment in Canada and stop jeopardizing Canadian oil and gas?
Mr. Speaker, in 1939, the MS St. Louis was carrying over 900 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany seeking to escape persecution. To Canada's everlasting shame, the government of the day refused to provide that sanctuary. The refugees returned to Europe, where many were killed in the Holocaust. Since being elected, I have worked alongside my colleagues for our government to recognize that tragic event. Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced what our government will do to recognize the wrongs of the past.Can he share this with the members of the House?
Mr. Speaker, I am just wondering whether the Prime Minister is going to be changing the G7 agenda to include the importance of swagger in economics. The reality is that there is a problem in Canada with respect to investor confidence, and it has to do with the fact that taxes are too high. It is too difficult to do business in Canada because of high costs, and businesses get stuck in a regulatory approval process that takes years to come out of. When will the Liberals stop blaming CEOs in Canada, who work hard, and instead look to themselves as the problem?
Mr. Speaker, an ISIS terrorist who returned to Canada in the past few years recently gave an interview with The New York Times podcast Caliphate. In the podcast, Abu Huzaifa states that he worked for ISIS enforcing sharia law in Syria. He brags about getting splattered with blood while brutally lashing people who broke their laws, and he proudly admits to murdering ISIS prisoners and having the irony smell of blood on his hands.When is the Prime Minister going to stop allowing these bloodthirsty terrorists to walk on our streets, and throw them in jail instead?
Mr. Speaker, officials are expecting 200 illegal migrants to cross into Canada daily this summer, placing immense stress on our immigration system. Meanwhile, the Liberals are doing mainly nothing to support our seniors. Canadians are wondering why the Liberals are continuing to favour illegal border jumpers while ignoring the needs of seniors.
Mr. Speaker, is there some swagger? He seems so angry. The Prime Minister promised Canadians a law that would ensure the Trans Mountain expansion will proceed. Now the natural resources minister says that legislation might not be introduced. The Liberals talk, but they have done nothing to meet the May 31 deadline. The Prime Minister created this crisis. He misled Canadians with that promise. Now he claims his only option may be to force taxpayers to foot the bill, which Kinder Morgan did not even need. This is a total failure. Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians how he will meet the deadline and guarantee that the expansion will go ahead?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York Centre for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community.When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community. Canada's discriminatory none is too many policy of the time failed those desperate for safety and refuge from persecution. To acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, I look forward to offering a formal apology on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, what we have just heard is awful.