Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to note that we always respect the provinces and indigenous peoples, as well as the work that they do. We are putting forward a bill that will protect our children and prevent organized crime from making huge profits from the sale of marijuana. The Conservatives keep playing politics with this issue.I want to thank the senators and every expert who spoke to this issue. We are moving forward with measures that will protect Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the members did not get a chance to hear this. It says, Yes, most middle-class families are paying more in income taxes today.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try to get the truth for people in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister did not want to tell dairy producers yesterday whether he plans to make concessions to the Americans on supply management or not.The Minister of Agriculture confirmed this morning that there is room for negotiation with the Americans on supply management. In the Prime Minister's fantasy world, saying one thing in the United States and another thing in Chicoutimi must seem reasonable.The Prime Minister is going to Saguenay tomorrow. Will he tell the truth, specifically whether he has made any concessions to the Americans on supply management?
Mr. Speaker, two days after the purchase of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, the company received a letter from the government stating that it had committed four offences. It had gone months without filing mandatory monitoring reports with the government and first nations, and it exceeded safe underwater noise limits during expansion, endangering marine wildlife. Knowing about these violations and all the rest, why on earth would the government bail out Kinder Morgan with billions of Canadians' hard-earned money?
Mr. Speaker, not only have the Liberals decided to legalize cannabis, but they have also decided that Quebec, the provinces, the Senate, the opposition, and everyone else should bend to their will. This is one heck of a power trip.The National Assembly is not interested in letting every family, every household, grow four pot plants. Our elected representatives have spoken: we do not want that. Quebec wants to do this its own way in its own good time.What part of that does the Prime Minister not understand?
Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system from the Conservative government that had multiplied wait times. Family and spousal reunification was up to over 24 months. We have drastically cut wait times. We recognize there is more to do and we are working hard on that, but after all the cuts we inherited, we recognize that is going to take some time. We continue to invest in our immigration system. We understand that family reunification, opportunities for integration, and a compassionate and fair immigration system that continues to be rigorously applied are important to all Canadians and that is what we are delivering.
Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the fact that budget 2018 makes historic investments in science and research across the country. We understand how important it is to our well-being to invest in science, particularly after 10 years of Conservative neglect. We recognize the value of the Mont-Mégantic observatory's work. We will continue to work with the observatory team to make sure that everything goes smoothly in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister accuses me of misrepresenting the Fraser Institute's report? Wait now. That is interesting, because the authors of that report have actually taken to the newspapers with an op-ed saying that he has misrepresented their research. I will be happy to send him over that op-ed. They calculate that he raised taxes on 80% of middle-class families. How much more will those same families have to pay with his new carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, this government never listened to health experts, police forces, business leaders, municipalities, first nations, or the Senate, which spent many hours doing incredible work. Now, the provinces, who have asked for more time, are asking us to simply respect their jurisdictions.Again, my question for the Prime Minister is very simple. Will he respect the jurisdictions of Canada's provinces as well as those of first nations, and allow them to prohibit home cultivation of cannabis?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for GlengarryPrescottRussell for his hard work on behalf of Canadian farmers.We announced the publication of the safe food for Canadians regulations, which will reduce the burden on businesses and grow market access for Canada's agricultural sector. We also implemented new measures to reduce the time it takes to remove unsafe food from the marketplace.We are proud of those who work in our agricultural sector, and we encourage them to continue innovating and being world leaders.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister calls them boutique tax credits for the wealthy. He says that any family that used the public transit tax credit to take the bus is too wealthy. He says that any dad or mom who used the children's fitness tax credit to put kids in hockey are too wealthy. He says that any family that wanted to use income splitting to have a stay-at-home dad is too wealthy.Is that not just a little bit rich from a trust fund Prime Minister who lives in a tax-funded mansion?
Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Liberals promised to establish visa-free access to Canada for Ukrainians, but yesterday, visiting MPs from Ukraine confirmed that those talks have stalled out.In light of the situation with Russia, it has become more important than ever to strengthen our ties with Ukraine.Given that Ukraine already has visa-free access to the EU and that Canada already has a trade agreement with Ukraine, people want to know what exactly it is the Liberals are waiting for. When will the government finally get a deal done to ensure visa-free access for Ukrainians to Canada?
Mr. Speaker, the NDP still believes that we have to choose between the economy and the environment. We all know that we can create jobs and protect the environment at the same time. That is why we are putting a price on pollution, protecting our coasts and oceans, and investing in clean technology. That is why we are also diversifying our export markets, since 70% of Canada's exports go to the U.S.In light of recent events, it is surprising that the NDP continues to oppose economic diversification projects that are in the national interest.
Mr. Speaker, Canada should be investing in clean, renewable energy sources that create good quality, long-lasting jobs for today's workers and future generations. Instead of looking to the future and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies as they promised, the Liberals have become huge supporters and investors in the oil industry. If they vote against the NDP motion, the Liberals will undermine Canada's commitment we made to the world in Paris and ignore the transition that we need to renewables.Will the Liberals support our motion and ensure real climate leadership?
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform the member opposite that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board operates at arm's length, with a mandate to invest in the best interests of its members. Many investors have already expressed interest in the project, including indigenous groups, Canadian pension funds, and others.The fact that we are moving forward and succeeding, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years to get our exports to markets other than the United States, is making them grasp at straws, and flailing for partisan approaches, when they should be pleased that for once we have actually delivered what they could not do for
Mr. Speaker, reuniting families is something the Prime Minister says he values, yet whether or not someone's parents and grandparents can come to Canada is all based on the luck of the draw. Imagine, a lottery decides whether they will be reunited with their loved ones. Last year, hundreds of spots remained unfilled due to errors, and critics say the process used can easily be rigged. How can the Prime Minister justify family reunification that is based on a lottery?
Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians understand that the Prime Minister's carbon tax will not make a significant difference to global emissions. What it will do is increase the cost of living, making everything more expensive, especially the cost to fuel their cars. I think even the Prime Minister understands this, because he is going to great lengths to hide the information from Canadians. He still, after weeks and months, refuses to tell Canadians the true cost of his carbon tax. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing today, end the carbon tax cover-up, and tell Canadians how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, I am used to the member opposite completely misinterpreting my statements, but now he is misinterpreting and misreading the Fraser Institute's report.We have lowered taxes on the middle class. It was, in fact, the very first thing we did. We raised them on the wealthiest 1%. On top of that, we delivered a Canada child benefit that delivered more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families, with tax-free money every month to help with the cost of groceries and school supplies.Unfortunately, both of those initiatives are things the Conservatives voted against.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the state of the current negotiations to preserve NAFTA, there is obviously a great deal of confusion. Yesterday, the Prime Minister had a chance to come clean and be clear about one aspect though. On Sunday, the CBC reported that the U.S. administration had waved awayand finally dropped its demand for a five-year sunset clause, something the Prime Minister had said was a major sticking point.Can the Prime Minister clearly state whether or not that report was in fact accurate?
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the New Democrats only listen to those who share their views, we make sure that all voices are respected and heard. We held the broadest consultations with rights holders ever, and we established a monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including the Upper Nicola band community. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly passed its cannabis bill yesterday. It legislates a maximum of 150 grams per household, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, and a ban on home cultivation.My question for the Prime Minister is simple. Is he finally going to respect provincial jurisdictions and let Quebec, and every Canadian province, as well as first nations, legislate in their own areas of jurisdiction?
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, by law, is appointed by the Minister of Finance, and it is deliberately kept independent of political interference. There is a good reason. The board manages workers' money, and it has to make sure that there is no undue risk in its investments, because it has to make sure there is money available for our retirement. I was very interested to see that the minister and the Prime Minister said that the private sector was not interested in the Trans Mountain pipeline because it was risky. Will the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance to back off the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and tell him that it is going to go to private sector investments?
Mr. Speaker, that question was a perfect example of how the Conservatives are using misinformation to create fear and division within Canadians. Pitting groups of Canadians against one another is entirely irresponsible.On this side of the House, we are committed to a compassionate asylum system, all the while ensuring that only those who should be in Canada are allowed to stay. In contrast, the former Conservative government cut $390 million from the CBSA and cut refugee health care. They created massive backlogs and processing delays, which we are still working to fix.
Mr. Speaker, after months of pursuing a wrong-headed policy of appeasement towards Iran, the Liberals finally agreed with the Conservative Party to have a more forceful response to the Iranian regime.It was just last month that Liberal senators defeated Conservative proposed legislation to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. Now, I want to know clearly from the Prime Minister, because moments after the vote was held his own officials in the Department of Public Safety refused to acknowledge that this important step of naming the IRGC as a terrorist organization would be kept. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he will actually follow the will of the House?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his sentiments. I can commit to him that the Conservatives will always support efforts to keep markets open, keep borders open, and protect Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy.Now, there are a lot of things we cannot control. As the Government of Canada knows, it cannot control all the external factors. However, what it can control is how it manages Canada's economy. More and more people in Canada are rejecting the idea of a carbon tax, knowing that it will devastate jobs and opportunities here in Canada. Ontario has now joined the group of provinces that opposes a carbon tax. The Prime Minister's coalition for his carbon tax is unravelling. Will he finally come clean on how much the costs will be for Canadian families?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not listening. They are not listening to the fact that the people of Ontario rejected Kathleen Wynne's approach, which damaged the economy and did nothing to reduce emissions. The Prime Minister is following the exact same playbook that Ontario has rejected. Saskatchewan opposed the carbon tax, and soon Alberta will join the fight against the carbon tax. If the Prime Minister is so sure that Canadians will support his carbon tax, why can he not tell them how much it will cost?
Mr. Speaker, to follow on the same thinking as the member opposite, let me highlight that two and a half years ago Canadians rejected the Stephen Harper approach on the economy and the environment. Not only for 10 years did the Conservatives do nothing to protect the environment, they also did not have much in the way of economic growth to show for it. On top of demonstrating that we understand that the environment and the economy go together, we have created economic growth in our country, the best in the G7 last year; 600,000 new jobs; and the lowest unemployment rate in a generation. These are the choices we have made for Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a strong and steadfast friend to Ukraine, whether it is standing up against the illegal Russian annexation of Crimea or Russia's interference in the Donbas, whether it is working with our troops in Ukraine to continue to train Ukrainian forces, whether it is signing and moving forward with a Canada-Ukraine trade deal, or whether it is continuing to look for closer trade ties between our countries. As I told President Poroshenko just a few days ago when I spoke with him, we will continue to support Ukraine in its march toward greater progress and greater success for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, we are lucky to have a world-class public service, which just last year was recognized as the most effective in the world. We are working to change the culture in the public service following 10 years of Conservative government that muzzled scientists, used tax dollars for partisan advertising, and made irresponsible and ideologically driven cuts.We were given a mandate to restore a culture of respect for and within Canada's non-partisan public service, and to instill a culture of experimentation, evidence-based policy, and implementation. We will continue to work towards achieving that objective, and as the head of the public service said, there is still more work to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect to know that the food they are eating is safe, especially since the complex international food chain is creating some significant new challenges for food safety.Our government has been taking firm action to address these issues to simultaneously make our food safer while also providing more trade opportunities for businesses.Could the right hon. Prime Minister please update the House as to today's announcement of the safe food for Canadians regulations?
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to acknowledge that everyone across Canada and in every jurisdiction agrees that it is time to put an end to the present system, which fails to protect our children and puts billions of dollars every year into the hands of organized crime, and replace it with a better system that controls and regulates the sale of marijuana.We consulted experts, we worked very hard, and we listened to what the experts had to say. Our decision has been made and we firmly believe that these measures are the best way to protect Canadians, our youth, and our communities, and that is what we are going to do.
Mr. Speaker, he still cannot answer the simple question about following the will of the House as voted here just this week.When the Auditor General's report was tabled, the report that was highly critical of the government's handling of many files, the Minister of Public Services thanked the Auditor General and proclaimed that ...We are accepting all of his recommendations. However, yesterday, the Prime Minister's very own Clerk of the Privy Council dismissed the Auditor General's recent report, calling it an opinion piece.Which is it? Does the Prime Minister share the views of his minister or his senior civil servant? In other words, does he accept the Auditor General's report that his own government
Mr. Speaker, I am going to return to the previous question, because I want everyone to be very clear on this. I do not know exactly where the Conservatives are going with it, but I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.The sunset clause has been something that I have said without equivocation from the beginning would be unacceptable in a NAFTA. I have said that many times to the President. The President has not, so far, as far as we know, and we have seen his tweets, responded to or withdrawn his offer, his demand, for a sunset clause in NAFTA. Let us be very clear about that.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest it is the NDP that just does not get it because not having access to markets other than the United States for our oil resources is costing us $15 billion per year.The Conservatives spent 10 years trying to diversify our energy resource markets, but they failed. We are succeeding because we know that creating jobs and economic growth while protecting our environment is the best way to build a strong future for all Canadians. That is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure that our system works. We are in discussions with them right now to look at ways of ensuring that organized crime and others are not using and abusing Canada's immigration system. This is something that we take very seriously. I thank the member opposite for bringing forward this question and I am pleased to tell her that we are very much engaged exactly on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the Conservatives showed low growth because they favoured boutique tax cuts for wealthy Canadians who might vote for them instead of helping the middle-class and those working hard to join it.That is why Canadians made a better choice in 2015 and put their trust in the Liberal government that lowered taxes for the middle class, raised them on the wealthiest 1%, is delivering a Canada child benefit that helps nine out of 10 Canadian families, and stopped sending the child benefit cheques to millionaires the Conservatives were so attached to.We have created the strongest growth in the G7 for 2017, and we are going to
Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of listening to all voices when it comes to major projects. We know there are a variety of opinions, including within indigenous communities. Some oppose this project, while others strongly support it. While the NDP only listens to those who share their opinion, we ensure that all voices are respected and heard. We completed the deepest consultations with rights holders ever for a major project in this country, and we established a co-developed monitoring committee with indigenous communities, including representation from the Nicola band. We have listened, and we will continue to listen.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, steel workers reiterated their call for immediate steel and aluminum countermeasures. Revenue is being lost. This situation is affecting Canadian steel and aluminum producers, employees, and their families.The United States has been imposing unreasonable tariffs for nearly two weeks now. Mexico reacted almost immediately, but we are still waiting.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and impose tariffs on American steel and aluminum today?
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to supporting our dairy producers, and that is exactly what I told them yesterday. Ours is the party that created supply management, and we will continue to defend it. That is what I told the President. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Agriculture will continue to defend our dairy producers. As Canadians know, on this side of the House, all Liberal members continue to defend supply management and support our dairy industry.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for BrossardSaint-Lambert for her work on gender equality. Everyone must have equal access to a quality education.In Charlevoix, we announced a fund worth nearly $3.8 billion to increase equal access to quality education for girls and women and to address the barriers that prevent them from accessing education. This is the largest-ever investment in education for women and girls in crisis situations, and it will have a real impact on women and girls around the world.
Mr. Speaker, within hours of the U.S. government imposing these new tariffs on steel and aluminum, we had a clear response worth $16.6 billion on steel, on aluminum, and on other products coming into Canada from the United States. We have been working on contingency plans, and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and all Canadians, that we will be there to support and stand with our aluminum and steel workers. That is what I told them across the country when I was visiting with them. That is what I continue to tell them as I speak to them across the country through their leadership and the media.
Mr. Speaker, that is interesting, because I do not believe you have met with them since the tariffs came on.We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by reminding the member opposite that not only was the first thing we did lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them for the wealthiest 1%, but that member actually voted against those measures to lower taxes on the middle class.In regard to pricing carbon pollution, I can highlight that 86% of our economy already has a price on carbon pollution in their jurisdictions. We will continue to work to make sure there is fairness across the country as we move forward on protecting our environment for future generations and spurring innovation and the growth of jobs in our economy.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister lifted the visa requirement on Romania knowing that high numbers of false asylum claims and incidents of organized crime would be a risk of doing so. Indeed, in the five months since making this ill-advised decision, well over 1,000 asylum claims have been filed and the CBSA has now said that the lifting of the visa requirement has precipitated a noticeable increase of the activities of Romania-based Organized Crime groups...targeting Canada.Will the Prime Minister keep Canada safe and reinstate the visa requirement on Romania?
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Hamilton WestAncasterDundas for her continued advocacy for youth. As we know, young Canadians are not just the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. The Prime Minister's Youth Council has played a crucial role in leading consultations across the country to help develop Canada's first-ever national youth policy. I would also like to welcome the youth council to Ottawa where they will tackle difficult issues this week, such as the opioid crisis, and discuss Canada's role on the world stage. As always, I look forward to their advice.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to answering that question, and subsequent questions. I do want to take a moment right now to personally thank the Leader of the Opposition, indeed all opposition MPs, and indeed all Canadians for standing together in this moment of difficulties in our relationship with the United States. How we will continue to work together on standing up for Canadian workers and for Canadian interests is something beyond partisanship. I thank the member opposite, all members in the House, and Canadians across Canada for their solidarity on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP supports the government's decision to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.However, last year, the White House imposed a surtax on our softwood lumber and despite months of pressure the government only hatched a timid plan of loan guarantees and employment insurance.This time, will the government properly do its homework and announce a program of adequate support for workers and for SMEs in our steel and aluminum sector as Quebec did?
Mr. Speaker, that is the point. The government did not listen.Again, Upper Nicola band counsel had these harsh words for the government: the Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, and delegated.The Upper Nicola community wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia, a project that could light 5,000 homes. Instead the government wants to impose a pipeline that the community does not want.How can a Prime Minister who claims to be a leader in both climate change and reconciliation with indigenous peoples act in such a way?
Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Mégantic observatory is vital to the development of scientific knowledge in Canada and throughout the world. Even so, the Liberals and their predecessors are content to wait until the last minute to approve funding for the observatory, and then only for a set period of time.This approach is once again causing the observatory team and the scientific community a lot of anxiety, and yet the Liberals promised stable funding for the observatory.Are we witnessing the breaking of yet another Liberal promise? Is the Prime Minister waiting for the observatory to close its doors before he takes action?
Mr. Speaker, private sector investment fled this project, and the Minister of Finance indicated that he asked pension plans whether or not they would be interested. He asked the Canada pension plan board if it was interested, which is a clear conflict. When that did not work, he actually hired a U.S. bank to come in and lobby the Canada pension plan board, an arm's length organization. Money from the federal reserve, money from the Canada pension plan, money from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, is all workers' money. Can he guarantee, as the Prime Minister, that not a single taxpayer dollar is going to be left on the hook because of their failure?
Mr. Speaker, the workers know that the Liberals have not yet met with them since these tariffs went on. We are talking about the livelihoods of at least 50,000 workers employed directly by the steel and aluminum industries and all those who depend on them. Trump's tariffs have already started affecting the lives of workers and communities that simply cannot wait for support from their government.The government says it was prepared for the worst-case scenario. If that is true, then why is the government not telling workers what its plan is to protect Canadian jobs? Where is the plan?
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There have been consultations and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous support for the following motion: That the House call on the government to increase the ratio of highly persecuted LGBT refugees that Canada welcomes as part of its humanitarian immigration streams, particularly from countries where they face extreme persecution such as Iran; and make the Rainbow refugee assistance program a regular ongoing program with multi-year funding.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps we have just seen why the Conservatives were unable to get the pipeline built for 10 years. They do not have confidence in the workers, in the oil sector, or in the capacity of Canadians to get these resources to market profitably. That is what we are hearing from them. They do not believe this pipeline is going to work. On this side of the House, we have Alberta's back. We have Canada's back. We are there to make sure that we get our resources to new markets, despite the worries and naysaying of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, The Crown failed to meaningfully consult in relation to title, governance rights and use rights. Instead, it dodged, deferred, delegated.... These are the words of Upper Nicola Band counsel Elin Sigurdson. This is the same Upper Nicola band that wants to build the largest solar energy project in British Columbia. For a climate leader, the choice between green energy and buying a pipeline should be obvious. A leader in reconciliation with indigenous peoples should respect and empower first nations and their choices. Why cannot the Prime Minister do either?
Mr. Speaker, refocusing Canada's international assistance on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls, is not just about words or simple rebranding. It takes commitment and concrete actions.Could the Prime Minister tell the House what progress was made at the G7 summit with respect to education for women and girls?
Mr. Speaker, we have been unequivocal. The tariffs are completely unacceptable. The Canadian and American economies are so closely linked that these tariffs will also harm American workers.We will defend our industries and Canadian workers. We will impose up to $16.6 billion in trade restrictions on American imports. The American decision goes against NAFTA and the WTO rules, and we will do everything we can to dispute it. We want Canadian workers to know that they can count on their government.
No, Mr. Speaker. With the American President, as is regularly, we engaged on a broad range of subjects, including in which I reiterated that the sunset clause on NAFTA would be absolutely unacceptable, that Canada could never sign a NAFTA with a sunset clause in it, and he did not immediately back down.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to assure Canadians that our immigration system is working. We have the capacity to review all of these cases. We are making sure that all of the rules and measures of our immigration and refugee system are being followed. I do not want people to be afraid just because the Conservatives are engaging in fearmongering and divisive tactics for partisan purposes. If the Conservatives seriously wanted to show respect for our border services workers, they would not have cut nearly $400 million from their
Mr. Speaker, my question is about the carbon tax cover-up. The Fraser Institute calculates that the Prime Minister has raised income tax on 81% of middle-class families, on average by $800 per family. The PBO says this new carbon tax will axe $10 billion from our GDP, but Finance Canada, because of the government, is blacking out the cost to the average Canadian family. Will he end the carbon tax cover-up and tell us how much it will cost Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the Conservatives run out of flailing arguments, they turn to personal attacks. It is the same old, same old from them. That is what we got for 10 years instead of the kind of growth that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them needed. That is why we focused on Canadians over the past two and a half years, delivering the middle-class tax cut, delivering the Canada child benefit, delivering a strengthened CPP, delivering an increase in the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors, delivering on the Canada workers benefit, delivering on infrastructure investments that are going to help Canadians across the country. That is what we have done.
Mr. Speaker, I can state without equivocation, that the United States has not yet waived its demand for a NAFTA sunset clause.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Prime Minister why his party voted against that motion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for me to table the following document by Charles Lamman and Hugh MacIntyre, the co-authors of a Fraser Institute study, entitled, Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes
Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, Canadian steel and aluminum workers have our unconditional support. These tariffs are completely unacceptable. Consequently, we intend to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other goods from the United States. We will impose tariffs on the U.S. equivalent to those imposed on Canadian goods.As I told steel and aluminum workers when I visited plants across the country, we will always be there to defend them.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's actions speak otherwise. On one hand, he is giving these anti-Semitic religious extremists taxpayers' dollars to actively promote hatred using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. On the other, he has denied funding to faith groups that want to help those in need. Why is the Prime Minister allowing certain religious organizations to be funded to promote hatred toward Jews, but saying no to churches that want to help the homeless?
Mr. Speaker, we deeply oppose Iran's support for terrorist organizations, its threat towards Israel, its ballistic missile program, and its support for the murderous Assad regime. We will always defend human rights and hold Iran to account for its actions. We led a resolution at the UN in November calling on Iran to comply with its international human rights obligations. We continue to maintain sanctions on Iran, which include restrictions on sensitive goods and a list of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes with whom all transactions involving property are prohibited.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are used to Liberals making a promise and then breaking it. This Prime Minister actually makes a promise after he has already broken it. He said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, and we now know, from the Fraser Institute's calculation, an institute that he has cited in his remarks today, that he has raised taxes on 81% of middle-class families, and that is before this new carbon tax.How much will that new tax cost the average Canadian family?
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives failed to secure access to markets other than the United States for Canadian resources for over 10 years. This failure is costing $15 billion a year to Canadians. The NDP believes that this enormous cost should continue to apply to Canadians every single year. It is critically important that we diversify our export markets all the while making historical investments to protect our environment. While the NDP's plan is to keep Canadian resources locked into a single market, we are working to protect and create Canadian jobs, while protecting the environment for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, we are regulating the sale of cannabis for one very simple reason: the current system is not protecting our young people or our communities.Organized crime is pocketing billions of dollars per year from illegal cannabis sales, and we know the measures we have proposed in this bill will reduce the role of organized crime in the sale of cannabis. That is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to protect young people and all Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, the NDP continue to believe that there is a choice to be made between the environment and the economy. What we have demonstrated is a pan-Canadian climate plan that features a national price on carbon, that features protecting our oceans and coasts, and yes, does include a pipeline to new markets other than the United States.Why the NDP continues to think, given all the recent events, that it is not a good idea to diversify our resource markets is beyond me. There is no question that those members simply do not get it.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect our immigration system to operate in an orderly, safe, and compassionate manner. It is unacceptable to millions of Canadians, including the groups of refugees and immigrants I met in Toronto over the last few days who came here legally, who have family members facing persecution even today, who have loved ones in camps in dangerous places all over the world. They are frustrated that the Prime Minister is pitting one group of asylum seekers against another. They are frustrated at the idea that people can cross over illegally from a safe country while their friends and family have to wait. Why does the Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives not doing anything on the environment, the Conservatives show that they still do not get it. While our plan to put a price on carbon pollution will reduce emissions and drive innovation at the same time, the Conservatives double down on the failed Stephen Harper approach. In 2015, Canadians told the Conservatives that the Harper approach was wrong. However, now it is obvious that, as usual, the Conservatives have not been listening.We will continue to invest in clean growth to ensure a prosperous future for all our kids right across the country.
Mr. Speaker, this is not an issue of faith or beliefs. We can tell they are still Stephen Harper's Conservatives when they advocate for organizations like the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform to receive public funds, which are then used to attack a woman's right to choose. We believe that public funds should never be used to actively fight against the rights of Canadians, and we will ensure that no money from the Canada summer jobs program is re-funded to organizations that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that use hate against other Canadians of any type, whether they be women, Jewish community groups, or LGBTQ
Mr. Speaker, according to a study by Cambridge University, a foreseeable and inevitable drop in global demand for oil will burst the carbon bubble. This will happen between 2030 and 2050.In one fell swoop, oil infrastructure will become worthless. So, what did the Prime Minister do? He bought an old pipeline with $4.5 billion of our money. What timing. What a vision for the future. It is like someone investing in VHS players in 1990.Why not take the billions of dollars and invest them in sustainable energy and lasting jobs?
Mr. Speaker, in February, the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth launched a national dialogue on developing a youth policy for Canada.With his youth council here in Ottawa this week, could the Prime Minister update the House on the development of youth policy and on any other initiatives that the Prime Minister's Youth Council is undertaking?
Mr. Speaker, up to 400 people per day are expected to cross the Quebec border illegally this summer. The Prime Minister has turned Roxham Road into a welcoming haven, with lots of staff. It is hard to blame asylum seekers for thinking they can cross the border in that area.When will the Prime Minister take decisive action to address the root of the problem, instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on temporary solutions?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that a protracted trade disruption will have a devastating impact on Canada's economy, workers, and their families. But there are a lot of things a government could do to protect Canada's economy. We knew that the U.S. administration would have a new relationship with Canada as soon as the U.S. election was over, yet in last spring's budget the Prime Minister failed to have a single contingency plan set aside, and that is with an $18-billion deficit. In addition, the Liberals have been dragging their feet on implementing the TPP. The TPP could open up new markets and diversify our trading relationship.Why has the Prime Minister waited so long to implement the TPP?
Mr. Speaker, giving away billions of dollars to a company that has zero respect for Canada's environmental regulations is the antithesis of leading the fight against climate change.Using public money to buy a pipeline is not visionary. Exposing Canadians to the environmental and financial risks associated with the pipeline is totally unfair. Instead of throwing money at energy sources of the past, the government must invest in energy sources of the future.Why does the Prime Minister just not get it?
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, in downtown Toronto in what can only be described as a rally intended to incite hatred toward Jews and others, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service called for the eradication of Israelis, and genocide. Some of his anti-Semitic hate speech aimed at the Jewish community included telling them, You will leave in body bags. Will the Prime Minister condemn these hate-filled anti-Semitic comments?
Mr. Speaker, we unequivocally condemn these statements. Such statements are unacceptable in Canadian society. Our society is open and tolerant, but we do not allow hate speech that incites violence. That is and always has been our position. Canada rejects the politics of division and fear. I will always be opposed.
Mr. Speaker, can the Prime Minister confirm or deny that the waiving of the sunset clause was at least offered during his talks with the U.S. President?
Mr. Speaker, we always condemn hate-filled anti-Semitic or homophobic or Islamophobic and hate-filled speech of all types across this country. Canada is a welcoming, diverse country of a broad range of views and perspectives, but we do not allow hate speech and we do not allow the incitement of hatred. We are a country that is built on mutual respect, on openness and compassion, and we reject the politics of division and hate wherever they come from.