Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Most negative speeches
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Most positive speeches
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?
Mr. Speaker, I love being given an opportunity to share facts with my colleague.For example, in July, Canadian exports rose to a record level of over $51 billion, part of which went to Quebec.We are building on achievements. When it comes to NAFTA, we want a good deal for Canadians. Of course we are going to defend our national interests.We will not sign just any deal. We will sign a good deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, this government is holding Canadian businesses hostage and making consumers pay. Having placed itself in position of weakness in the NAFTA negotiations, it is overtaxing consumer products.Biscuits Leclerc, which also owns plants in the United States, has to pay a surtax to import its own products into its own country. It is the consumers who will end up paying for this.Why will this government not respect our Canadian businesses and why is it sending the billresulting from its own mismanagementto Canadians?
Mr. Speaker, we know that CSIS spied on environmental groups just because they spoke out against petroleum industry tactics. Organizations that advocate for better environmental protection and push the government to fight climate change are now considered a threat to national security. It was happening under the Conservatives, and it is still happening under the Liberals.How can the government justify spying on Canadian citizens, and how is wanting to save the environment a threat to national security?
Mr. Speaker, we are undoing Harper's Bill C-51. We have a proposed piece of legislation that will be before this House, Bill C-59, which will make improvements that people have been demanding. We have had the most widespread consultation on this proposed piece of legislation, and we are confident that it will reflect the needs and desires of the people of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Oakville NorthBurlington for her question.This year I travelled from Halifax to Coquitlam and from Drummondville, Quebec to Whitehorse, Yukon. With an aging population and labour shortages, which I was able to witness all across our country, we have responded as a government by introducing a responsible immigration program that will ensure a measured, responsible rate of growth. Our programs are simply attracting the best and the brightest talent from around the world. As a government, we will continue to ensure that we create good middle-class jobs for Canadians and a good economy.
Mr. Speaker, we have made sure to inform veterans and their families of the benefits and programs available to them. It is important to explain what the pension for life is all about. That is why our minister held more than 40 public consultations in order to tell people about the pension for life. I can say that we have had excellent results.
Mr. Speaker, we have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. They are, in fact, hallmarks of a free and democratic society. Unlike the Harper Conservatives who labelled protesters as foreign-funded radicals, we recognize that not everyone will agree with all of our decisions.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank that upstanding member of Parliament from Prince Edward Island for that excellent question.Some of the many highlights of budget 2018 include $210 million for the Canada research chairs program and $1.2 million for granting councils, but there is more. Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the establishment of new departmental science adviser positions. These science advisers will play an important role in supporting quality scientific research within federal departments, which will help ensure that government science is fully available to the public.
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, we are fortunate that a person's socio-economic background does not automatically limit the opportunities that are available to them, especially when it comes to education. In fact, Canada leads both the OECD and the G7 when it comes to children being able to complete post-secondary education in families where their own parents did not. This means that more young people are able to get the skills they will need to succeed in a changing economy.What is the government doing to make sure that there are good economic opportunities for these young Canadians when they graduate?
Mr. Speaker, this government has made strong science-based decision-making one of its priorities. This was first demonstrated to Canadians when the government re-established the position of chief science adviser to Canada, which the Harper Conservatives got rid of.What else has our government been doing to ensure that science-based decision-making continues to be a priority?
Mr. Speaker, Sean Bruyea is a decorated veteran and a strong advocate for veterans in Canada. For their contributions and sacrifices, all veterans and their families deserve to be supported and treated with respect by their government, yet when Mr. Bruyea presented estimates to the government, the minister attacked his character and called them mistruths. The minister's own staff told him that Mr. Bruyea's comments were accurate, and his estimates were confirmed by departmental documents.My question is simple. Will the minister stand in the House right now and apologize to Mr. Bruyea?
Mr. Speaker, the national pharmacare online consultation that the Liberals are doing does not even mention rare diseases. One in 12 Canadians has a rare disorder. Why is the health minister systematically discriminating against this group and will she update her consultations to ensure that input on rare diseases is included?
Mr. Speaker, Alberta oil and gas supports more than 1,000 Ontario businesses. More than 69,000 Ontarians have Alberta oil and gas to thank for their jobs. Ontario construction companies and manufacturing and technology firms, hospitals and schools all benefit from Alberta oil and gas. It is estimated that a healthy domestic energy sector will provide $50 billion in revenue to Ontario over the next 20 years. Ontario wants a plan to build this pipeline. When will the government stop the delays and build the Trans Mountain pipeline?
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medication, including orphan drugs, as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare diseases. We are working on improving access to orphan drugs. We have, as I said earlier, launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative and we encourage people with rare diseases to work with the implementation of a national pharmacare council to give advice to the development of those recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, Canada has made great progress, but there is more work to be done. Young Canadians still feel that they do not have the same economic opportunities afforded to their parents. They are hard working, talented and ambitious and have the right skills, but there are still challenges to addressing the changing labour market.In my new role as PS to finance, I am focused on youth economic opportunities. I look forward to working with young Canadians across this country to make sure that they are a part of our thriving economy.
Mr. Speaker, as I already mentioned, the Minister of Public Safety has asked the corrections commissioner to do a review to make sure the current policies and procedures were indeed followed, and to determine whether those policies and procedures are still appropriate. We will await the findings of the commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts do go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured. The Minister of Public Safety has requested that the commissioner of corrections do a review of that placement, make sure that all policies and procedures were followed and ensure that the policies and procedures in place are indeed appropriate. The offender is currently housed in a correctional institution equipped to provide programming in a medium security environment.
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to improving access to necessary prescription medications including orphan drugs as we understand the difficulties experienced by people dealing with rare medical conditions. To that end, we have launched a regulatory review of drugs and devices initiative, a major effort to improve the availability of prescription medications including drugs for rare diseases.Last year, our government authorized 36 new drugs and we look forward to the health committee's report on rare diseases.
Mr. Speaker, first, it was discrimination against people with type 2 diabetes, and then autism, and then multiple sclerosis, and now this. Yesterday, the rare disease organization testified that the Liberal government has not kept any of its promises on access to drugs for rare diseases. Now they are being excluded from the pharmacare discussions.Why are the Liberals discriminating against people with rare diseases?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we understand what the requirements are, what the policies are and what the legal actions available to all ministers and members of government are. Section 28 makes it quite clear that the authority to make a different placement decision rests with the Correctional Service of Canada. That power does not belong to a minister.
Mr. Speaker, our economy is booming and a key factor in this economic strength is our immigration program. Our government understands that a strong and smart immigration system supports our economy, creates Canadian jobs and fills labour market needs. In my riding of Oakville NorthBurlington, we see workers and entrepreneurs like Ancilla Ho-Young who have immigrated to our country and are making positive contributions to our society. Can the minister expand on why immigration matters to Canada's economy?
Mr. Speaker, I want to reinforce what I said earlier. We have introduced national security legislation that will clarify once and for all that advocacy, protest, dissent and artistic expression are not activities that undermine the security of Canada. Bill C-59 was developed with the most extensive consultation we have ever done. It will reflect the needs and desires of the Canadian people.
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about some economic facts. In July, Canada exported a record high of more than $51 billion, supporting millions of middle-class jobs. We had the highest GDP growth in the G7 last year. We have created over half a million jobs since coming into power.We are working to build on those record exports by getting the right deal for NAFTA. We are committed to defending our national interests.
Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear. The cultural exemption must stand with a renegotiated NAFTA. The Prime Minister has stated it, and I am repeating it today. Protecting our creative industry means protecting our culture. It means protecting a $53.8 billion industry representing over 650,000 quality jobs for middle-class Canadians. We will defend our cultural sovereignty in the cultural sector within a future deal, because it is the right thing to do for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 42 creators and artisans of our culture signed an open letter calling on the government to defend the cultural exemption in NAFTA and to ensure that it applies to online platforms, so that we can compel these platforms to contribute to our culture.This means that signing agreements where Netflix does not have to pay any taxes or contribute anything or produce anything in French no longer flies.Will the Liberals guarantee that Quebec and every government in Canada will be able to keep their right to protect our culture? We are not just going to give up our cultural policies as chump change in the NAFTA negotiations, are we?
Mr. Speaker, all Canadians share the grief and the pain of the family of little Tori Stafford. That being true, the minister has asked the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case and ensure that all the policies and procedures that are in place were appropriately applied. He has also asked her to review to make sure that these policies and procedures remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Veterans Affairs refuses to apologize to a veteran whom he personally attacked. The minister's own department confirms that Sean Bruyea is right about the Liberals' broken promise on pensions. The War Amps has confirmed there is a Liberal broken promise to veterans, and today we learned that the Library of Parliament has confirmed that Mr. Bruyea's assessment was correct. We do not care about how many meetings the minister has had, because he has been misleading veterans. Will he stand today in the House and apologize to Sean Bruyea for the personal attack?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Tori Stafford for the loss they endured and have lived these last nine years. The Minister of Public Safety has asked the new commissioner of corrections to fully review the placement decision made by her predecessor in order to ensure that it followed all the policies and procedures currently in place, and that these policies remain appropriate.
Mr. Speaker, we have a clear plan, and we have instructed the National Energy Board to reconsider recommendations, taking into account the effect of the project related to shipping. Second, we will present to the NEB all the work that has been done by the government on protecting the ocean as well as coastal communities. We will move forward on this project with proper consultation and a meaningful dialogue with indigenous Canadians and communities so that we can move on in the right way.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that he believes in the rights of all Canadians to peacefully protest, and yet proceedings before the Federal Court this week suggest the contrary. It has been revealed that CSIS is treating environmental activists as a threat to national security, and sharing this information with the National Energy Board and private corporations. The Liberals promised to undo Harper's repressive Bill C-51. How then can the government accuse Canadians exercising their democratic rights as a risk to national security?
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that we continue to reduce taxes for the middle class. In addition to that, we have seen the lowest unemployment rate in nearly 40 years, and as a result of our investments, a typical Canadian family will be approximately $2,000 better off than under the previous Conservative government. Our investments are working. Our economy is growing. We have one of the best balance sheets in the G7. These are commitments that are going to benefit all Canadians across this country.
Mr. Speaker, last spring I went to Washington and stood with victims of sex trafficking as they celebrated the major passing of FOSTA-SESTA in Congress, removing the existing immunity for companies that knowingly profit from sex trafficking. Now tech companies are lobbying the U.S. government to bring back sex trafficking immunity provisions in NAFTA in the negotiations with Canada.Can the government confirm that a Canada-U.S. trade deal will not import the ability of companies to legally profit from sex trafficking?
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is a supra-constitutional statute, which includes the right to information for victims and their families. It is unacceptable that Tori Stafford's parents were only informed after their child's killer was transferred. They should have been informed much sooner. This fiasco has only added to the family's pain and trauma. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and cancel this offender's transfer, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, the minister has asked the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada to review this case to ensure that all decision-making was properly done in accordance with the law and long-standing policies that stretch back more than a decade. To correct the public record, I want to confirm that CSC's correctional facility has both minimum and medium security capacity. This particular offender was classified as medium security back in 2014.
Mr. Speaker, we are working and will continue to work hard to make sure that projects such as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion move forward in the right way. What the hon. member is proposing are the failed policies of the Harper government, which did not get a single pipeline built to expand our global, non-U.S. markets. We are going to do things differently. We are going to engage with indigenous peoples to make sure we are respecting their constitutional right to be consulted in a meaningful way, and we will take action on the environment.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. Once again, I want to take this opportunity to say that this petty politics is insensitive. It shows a lack of compassion for the families. We answered the question. Unlike the Harper Conservatives, we understand that when a veteran serves, their whole family serves with them. We will always stand by our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, as the son of small business owners, I understand the impact that government measures can have on Canada's economy and businesses. That is why we have launched programs, innovative solutions, and a procurement program designed to support early-stage research and development. To the Conservatives, supporting middle-class small businesses means putting more money in the pockets of millionaire big business owners who do not need it. We, on the other hand, believe that tax cuts should go to the companies that deserve it, because they are the backbone of the economy.
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear that we believe our scientists should be out there. They should be talking about the science, and we need to hear their voices. I have always been clear about that in my portfolio with Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada. I will continue to say that scientists should speak out about science. We need to make decisions based on science, and that is what our government believes and is acting on.
Mr. Speaker, the overrepresentation of indigenous children in the child welfare system is a humanitarian crisis. Our government is reforming the current broken system, which takes far too many indigenous children into its care. We are providing funding for first nation child and family services agencies based on actual needs, with an emphasis on prevention. We are working with our partners to transform the delivery of indigenous child welfare so that it is community directed and focused on prevention.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that, although I am aware of this case, I cannot go into the private details of a particular case due to privacy laws. My door is always open to engage members of Parliament as they advocate on behalf of their constituents. I invite the hon. member to approach me at any moment to discuss this case.
Mr. Speaker, a Narwhal investigation recently revealed that the Liberals have broken their promise to stop muzzling Canada's scientists. A Parks Canada biologist said he was painfully aware of the agency's restrictive treatment of the media. Reporters are finding that their interviews with employees are highly scripted and can take a long time to organize. Canadians need to know that scientists can, as the minister has said, speak freely about their work to the media and to the public. How can the government claim the high ground while following in the Conservatives' footsteps? When will the muzzling end?
Mr. Speaker, section 28 of the corrections act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by corrections services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government, and section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws, including those created by a Conservative government.
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat again. Section 28 of the Corrections Act says that inmate placement decisions must be made by Correctional Services. That act was created in 1992 by a Conservative government and Parliament decided that the power did not belong to a minister. Section 28 was last updated by the Harper government. As much as he might like to, the Minister of Public Safety cannot simply overrule laws created.
Mr. Speaker, Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford of Woodstock. She was eight years old. Now McClintic is being transferred from a prison with bars and razor wire to a healing lodge, a healing lodge where the commissioner of corrections has confirmed there are children present. Every Liberal on that side knows this is wrong.Will the Prime Minister reverse this decision?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the subject. Gender equality is very important to us. The provision of our benefits is based on demand. Regardless of whether 10 veterans or 10,000 submit claims, they are all eligible and all subject to the same provisions.
Mr. Speaker, it took a very long time for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to issue a directive ensuring that a civilian would no longer be able to receive benefits from a program for veterans and their families if he or she is in prison. If not for the pressure applied by Conservatives, who forced the minister to take a stand, nothing would have been done.What will now happen to Christopher Garnier's benefits? When will the minister take responsibility and show leadership by cancelling the benefits?
Mr. Speaker, we have always made it clear that no NAFTA deal is better than a bad deal. We are going to uphold this principle, because Canadians expect us to stand up for them. That is exactly what we did, and that is what we are doing now.
Mr. Speaker, the power to stop what is unacceptable does exist. In November 2001, a Liberal minister used this power when an offender who had murdered a police officer was to be transferred to another prison. The minister at the time put his foot down and prevented the transfer. He is now the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.Will the current Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness follow the example set by the current Minister of Agriculture who did the right thing in 2001?
Mr. Speaker, our government vigorously defends the rights of all Canadians to peaceful assembly and demonstration. In 2017, the Security Intelligence Review Committee investigated and dismissed the complaint at hand in this matter, finding that CSIS had not acted outside of its mandate and that its activities were reasonable and necessary. As the Federal Court is reviewing this decision, we cannot comment further at this time.
Mr. Speaker, I can confirm in the House that this government takes the issue of sex trafficking and trafficking in general with the utmost seriousness. We will always address this issue with the utmost concern. We will take the member's comments into consideration with respect to our negotiations, both in what we are doing domestically and in what we are doing internationally.A report is coming through from the Standing Committee on Justice on human trafficking, including sex trafficking. We wait eagerly for the results of that committee's recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings dropped by 0.4% nationally and by a a full percentage point in Saskatchewan, which is now tied for the slowest earnings growth among the provinces. Governments can help boost employee earnings by enforcing fair and minimum wages. Unfortunately, Canada still does not have a federal minimum wage. When will the government enact a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour?
Mr. Speaker, regarding that transfer of an inmate in 2001, and the subsequent decision to transfer the inmate to another institution, the then solicitor general told this chamber, The decision was made by Correctional Service Canada after evaluation to transfer him to another institution.As Stephen Harper's former minister of public safety said, I do not control the security classification of individual prisoners.
Mr. Speaker, the decision to change the security classification of this particular inmate was made in 2014, under the previous government. That inmate was determined to be medium security and she remains in a medium-security institution.
Mr. Speaker, as media reports today confirm, the decision on which institution to place an inmate in cannot be made by the Minister of Public Safety. It must be made by Correctional Service Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I have a constituent who has been waiting over a year for his disability claim to be processed by Veterans Affairs. Dylan, a veteran, honourably and faithfully served our country, yet Christopher Garnier, a convicted murderer who never served a day in his life, continues to get his private PTSD therapy covered by Veterans Affairs, PTSD that was caused by his murdering of Constable Catherine Campbell. When will the minister stop disrespecting Canadian veterans and end this murderer's taxpayer-funded treatment?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Liberal colleague over there that nobody can accuse us of lacking compassion because we ask questions about victims of crime. I would like
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the Campbell family. For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss ths particular case.All I am asking our colleagues opposite is to show some compassion and to think of what families must go through every day. They are putting back on the table a very sensitive and delicate file. I am asking them to show a bit of compassion for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, well, that is weak and that is ineffective, because there are actually precedents from our Conservative government where the Minister of Public Safety reversed decisions. However, the difference is it was Conservatives who stand up for victims, not hug-a-thug Liberals who are always defending the rights of criminals.After the Liberals' summer of failure, most Canadians are worse off, but there are a few winners: terrorist Omar Khadr, living large on an additional $10.5 million; cop killer Chris Garnier getting veterans benefits; and now Terri-Lynne McClintic, upgraded to a healing lodge. How come the only people doing better under the Liberal government seem to be murderers?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals fought the Human Rights Tribunal over four non-compliance orders, ignored an order of Parliament to flow funds to the underfunded child welfare system, and the price of that delay was the death of 12 children in the broken foster care system in Ontario. I encourage the government to read that report. It is a damning indictment of children being disappeared into a gulag of hopelessness. The report shows that indigenous children are still suffering systemic negligence from underfunded education, lack of mental health services and even lack of protection from abuse.Does the government not understand that the primary responsibility of a nation is to protect its children?
Mr. Speaker, we certainly understand that these illegal measures have created real challenges for Canadian businesses and workers. That is why we have already set up a $2-billion fund to defend the interests of Canada's workers and businesses. This includes extending work-sharing agreements, funding for training, funding to improve the productivity of Canadian manufacturers, and support to help businesses diversify their exports.
Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.
Mr. Speaker, this is personal, not just for me but for all Canadians who speak up for the protection of their communities' health and environment. In the 1980s, Canadians were called unAlbertan for protesting a dam. The utilities board was later shut down when it was discovered that the utilities board was spying on farmers who were protesting a power line. I call on the government to rein in CSIS now before Canadians' democratic rights to protest are further eroded.
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has the ability and the authority to reverse this decision and put policies in place to ensure that this never happens again. Children are present at these healing lodges because the healing lodges are meant for offenders who are actually being reintegrated back into our society. Tori Stafford's killer is not even eligible for parole until 2031. She is not being reintegrated back into society.Now, I know the Liberals are stuck on their talking points defending killers, but will they stand up for the rights of victims and for justice and do something to put this individual back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, we know that Canada's energy sector has been a source of well-paying middle-class jobs and will remain a source of well-paying middle class jobs for decades to come. That is why we we are working really hard to expand our global, non-U.S. markets, so we can get a better price for our natural resources and create thousands and thousands of jobs that have been lacking because of the failed policies of the Harper government, which failed to build a single pipeline to non-U.S. markets. We will do it the right way.
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister himself has acknowledged, it is unacceptable that female veterans, especially those who are francophone, are not receiving the same level of service as male veterans. Since the government is running massive recruitment campaigns to encourage women to join the army and asking female veterans to go through the difficult experience of talking about attacks and harassment they may have been subjected to during their service, could the government try to understand that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that services are delivered in both official languages?
Mr. Speaker, after being chastised by the courts, the government was forced to redo the Trans Mountain pipeline assessment. The problem is that the government is both judge and jury, so this is a blatant conflict of interest.The government bought the pipeline. It promised the House the project would be built. It is allowing just 22 weeks for the new assessment, and Trans Mountain's CEO has publicly stated that construction will begin next summer.Does anyone really expect us to believe the outcome of the assessments is not a fait accompli?
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Campbell. We have reviewed the funding and directed the department to ensure that the services received by family members of veterans are related to the veteran's service and, when they are not, that the case be reviewed by a senior official, and that the policy of providing treatment to family members under extenuating circumstances, such as convictions for serious crime, be addressed. This will ensure that we continue to support veterans and their families when they need help.
Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that Canada and our government are firmly focused on investing in small businesses and ensuring that we create a competitive economy for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. We have lowered small business taxes and taxes on the middle class. The Minister of Finance pointed out yesterday that we have had 8% growth in business investment in the last six consecutive quarters. Our government is making investments to ensure that Canadian businesses thrive.
Mr. Speaker, every time I am in my riding, business owners talk to me about all the hoops they have to jump through to stay in business because of the labour shortage.Although they are cutting business hours, increasing wages and trying to recruit abroad, they still cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working crazy hours so that their years of investment are not all for nothing.The Liberals need to understand that this cannot go on much longer. Business owners are exhausted.What is their plan?
Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals took power in 2015, Tori Stafford's killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was behind bars locked up in a prison. Today, this murderer is at a scenic healing lodge surrounded by nature. Even worse, according to the commissioner of corrections, children regularly stay at this lodge. Here is a simple fact: Child killers should not be around children.Will the Liberals take action and put this killer back behind bars?
Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Donald Trump plans to tell Congress today that the NAFTA talks have failed. It is now clear that he always hoped they would fail, so he could proclaim that he stands for America first at his rallies.No matter what the government might have given up on supply management, there would never have been an agreement. The government would be at a disadvantage in the real negotiations after the mid-term elections.Can the government guarantee that it made no concessions whatsoever in Donald Trump's fake negotiations, or did it weaken our agriculture industry for nothing?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are targeting Canadian small businesses yet again. For what reason? It is for being small. They are refusing to allow firms with under 200 employees to apply for tariff relief. This means that small businesses are being forced to either eat those costs or raise their prices for Canadian consumers.The Liberal plan on tariffs is to redirect that money to the large firms with the high-priced lobbyists. Why are the Liberals ignoring small business owners who are hardest hit by these tariffs?
Mr. Speaker, for months, the government has been telling us that it is prepared for any eventuality in the NAFTA negotiations. For months it has been telling us that it has a plan to protect Canadians' interests, whether the negotiations fail or succeed. However, we still have not seen the slightest hint of a plan.Everyone is worried, including Quebec workers and business owners.Now that it has become clear that Donald Trump would rather provoke a crisis than sign an agreement, can the Liberals tell us what their so-called plan is?
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about respect. We on this side of the House fully understand what families go through every time the Conservatives rake up a situation like this. Imagine what these families must be going through. Imagine how painful it is to recall each of these cases.For privacy reasons, we cannot comment directly on a specific case, as my colleague opposite is well aware.We will always stand with our veterans, but with respect.
Mr. Speaker, this sad story is about common sense. Canadians want people found guilty of murdering children to be behind bars in prison. Unfortunately, in this particular case that has outraged all Canadians, this woman was transferred from a traditional penitentiary to a healing lodge. That is not right. Just imagine. She has her own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. This is a total failure of common sense.The Liberals do have the power. The minister can reverse this decision. Why is he not doing so?
Mr. Speaker, this summer the Prime Minister failed to get construction started on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. He could use legislation to deliver this pipeline, but instead he is content to claim helplessness in face of the forces lined up against it and content to allow the project to sit idle. Since the Prime Minister has no plan, will he commit today to adopting the step-by-step path presented by the leader of Canada's Conservatives and finally get this project built?
Mr. Speaker, Mohammad Borna has been waiting since 2006 to find out if he can stay in Canada. His application has been completed for over 10 years, but the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has failed to give him an answer, including this past summer, when another promised decision date came and went. I repeatedly brought this to the attention of Minister McCallum and to the current minister. Will the minister today commit to a date by which a decision on Mr. Borna will be made? His family needs to know.
Mr. Speaker, we ended pizza parties for criminals, and the government cannot even keep a child killer behind bars. The prison system reports to the Minister of Public Safety. Terri-Lynne McClintic needs to be behind bars and surrounded by razor wire, not by trees and children. The minister has the power to reverse this decision. When will he?
Mr. Speaker, for outraged veterans and the victim's family, there has been no explanation by the Minister of Veterans Affairs that in any way justifies providing Christopher Garnier with veterans funding to treat his PTSD that resulted from his brutal, deliberate killing of officer Catherine Campbell. Catherine's family are looking for this part of their nightmare to end, and the only way for that to happen is to stop paying veterans benefits to Christopher Garnier. On behalf of the victim's family, will the minister do the right thing?
Mr. Speaker, with that answer, on the SIRC findings that are being referenced, the government is trying to keep those shared behind closed-door deliberations. It is bad enough that CSIS spied on environmental activists, but apparently it then shared information with the National Energy Board and even some oil companies.As I said, the government is trying to keep everything hush-hush and behind closed doors. When the government came to power, it had a lot to say about transparency, but it is not walking the talk.What does the government have to hide? Why is all of this being done in secret?
Mr. Speaker, millions of jobs depend on the survival of NAFTA, and Oshawa's auto sector is worried that no deal will result in catastrophic job losses. Last year, RBC Economics reported that 500,000 jobs alone are vulnerable if NAFTA fails, and the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association has suggested an additional 100,000 jobs could be lost in Ontario if the U.S. imposes auto tariffs on Canada.Will the Prime Minister confirm that Canada will be exempt from auto tariffs should no deal be reached by this week?
Mr. Speaker, a person who is convicted of murdering a child deserves to be behind bars. A judge sentenced Terri-Lynne McClintic to be behind bars until 2031 for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford. Instead, she is being held at a lodge that does not even have a fence.Will the Prime Minister use the power he has to correct this wrong?