Most toxic speeches
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
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Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
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Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.
Mr. Speaker, how can this Liberal government crow about the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement when Canada is included as an afterthought? The negotiations are not over, because the surtax Canada imposed on products to put pressure on the United States during the talks is still in place today. In PortneufJacques-Cartier, for example, Biscuits Leclerc, which has factories in Canada and the U.S., has to pay a surtax, as I mentioned, to import its own products into its own country.When will the government lift these taxes so that consumers can stop having to pay so much for products?
Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the parliamentary secretary answers a question that the minister refused to answer yesterday.Given that support for the carbon tax, which forms the backbone of the Liberals' climate plan, is literally disintegrating around it and given that even in the best case scenario there are huge gaps between emissions projections and the Paris targets, how many billions of Canadian taxpayer dollars is the government projecting will have to be spent on overseas carbon credits in order to make up for the Liberals' climate plan shortfalls?
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the Conservatives' position on China. On Monday, they told us that we were way too close. On Tuesday, they said that we were not close enough. However, we probably can agree on one thing; that a $40 billion investment that will send clean Canadian LNG to Asia is good for us, it is good for the planet, and we do not have to ask anybody for permission.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to compensate producers in a fair and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, we got a good deal, unlike the Conservatives' recommendations in times gone by.This deal improves on the initial NAFTA in the following ways. We removed the investor-state dispute system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. We got rid of the energy ratchet clause, which restricted the Canadian government from access to our energy resources, and this is good news for our oil patch workers. The new auto rules of origin are great news for Canadian workers. We also have much stronger labour and environmental chapters, and we protected chapter 19.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, without question, our hearts go out to the family of Constable Beckett in this tragedy.I will say that our government is incredibly proud to have introduced and passed legislation that is among the toughest impaired driving laws in the world. I will say, with respect to Bill C-75, that it does not in any way, shape or form change the principles of sentencing, which are proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the grave responsibility of the offender.What Bill C-75 does is that it gives prosecutors the necessary discretion to determine
Mr. Speaker, the government says that it has negotiated a good agreement. The Liberals are celebrating the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. My definition of negotiating is giving things and taking things in return. They gave away access to the dairy market. They gave in to the United States by leaving the surtax on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber in place. They agreed to costlier drugs. They put quotas on the auto industry. Furthermore, we will have to ask President Trump for permission if we want to enter into trade agreements with other countries. They call that a good agreement. Where are the wins?
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear when it comes to copyright and intellectual property that we have a very comprehensive plan. That is why we introduced the innovation and skills plan, and part of that plan is an $85.3-million commitment to the first national IP strategy. The objective of the strategy is to make sure that we help people generate more IP and that they get more IP benefits. With regard to copyright, this is going to help artists. This is going to help creators. This is going to help the industry grow. This is good for Canada, and this is good for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, we defended our supply management system against the Americans' aggressive attempts at dismantling it. Market access is similar to what the Conservatives had negotiated in the TPP.We are the party that implemented supply management, and we are the government that intends to defend it. That is precisely what we have done. We made a commitment to fairly and equitably compensate producers.
Mr. Speaker, this week Veterans Affairs confirmed that they have no idea what services are provided for veterans families and the number of people who are using them. It is the Liberals' responsibility to track those numbers and to ensure that those receiving services are deserving of them, unlike Chris Garnier, who still is receiving taxpayer-funded therapy for PTSD caused by his murder of Officer Catherine Campbell. Can the minister assure us that there are no other inmates receiving benefits intended for veterans? Can you answer the question, please?
Mr. Speaker, we know that our farmers produce food of the highest quality for Canadians at a reasonable price and that they support the prosperity of our rural areas. We appreciate that there will be impacts on our farmers, and we are committed to providing them with fair and full compensation to help them succeed. We will quickly establish a working group with farmers and the industry to help the process move forward. The Prime Minister, the minister and I met with many supply-managed farmers this week.
Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to watch the Conservatives find their backbone again, especially given that last year, as my colleague is well aware, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives begged us to give in and accept any deal, no matter what it cost Canadians. Thanks to our patience, our negotiating skills, and our first-rate team, we secured a great deal for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, with our new defence policy, we are putting men and women first. We will invest significantly in that defence policy while making sure that our men and women have the capacity and equipment they need and that their rights are upheld in the Canadian Armed Forces. We have dedicated ourselves to the men and women of the armed forces, and that is what we will continue doing in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, we are not starting over. There has already been a lot of work that has been done. We are building on the relationships we have, the information that has been gathered and the consultations done to date. We know that it will take more time to meaningfully engage with first nations with meaningful dialogue on a nation-to-nation basis to make sure that we get this right. We are respecting the judgment of the Federal Court of Appeal, and we intend to make sure that we have specific and focused dialogue with the first nations along the project corridor.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that no person, certainly no family, should have to go through what the people of Lac-Mégantic have gone through.That is why the minister has made rail transportation his number one priority. We have investigated this issue thoroughly and taken unprecedented action. We are working with the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Frontenac, and Nantes to ensure that the rail bypass goes forward.We will continue to take action to rebuild this beautiful community.
Mr. Speaker, actually, the message that would send to the indigenous community is that we do not want to consult, and basically, we do not want to see the pipeline move forward. At the end of the day, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who have no credibility on this file, with their disregarding indigenous consultations and disregarding the environment. We will take the time to get this right and meaningfully engage with first nations along the corridor of the project to make sure that we get this right.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley East for her tireless advocacy.Promoting gender equality is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do for our economy and the middle class. However, we need governments with more women representation if gender equality is to be truly achieved. That is why this week the Minister of Status of Women announced that we are investing $3.8 million to further the great work of the Daughters of the Vote program.Our government is proud to support this important project that empowers young women to seek public office and helps build a more representative democracy for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, our priority is to provide veterans and their families with the benefits and support they need. These benefits apply to 129,143 veterans with service-related illnesses or injuries. Last year, 1,400 veterans received benefits and, to the extent that it helped their recovery, services for their families. We also know that our investments in financial security, career transition, training and hiring new staff will ensure that veterans and their families receive the best services.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for West Nova for his continued work in ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy Kejimkujik and other national parks all year round.Unlike the Harper Conservatives, our government is ensuring meaningful experiences in parks across the country. To do this, we have made park entry for youth free forever, and made substantial investments in programs and experiences to ensure that more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites.In Kejimkujik National Park, this means that there is $4 million in upgrades to Jeremy's Bay Campground. I look forward to working with the member to ensure that we can enhance year-round access to our national park system, including at Kejimkujik.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's century old national park system is unlike any other in the world, yet in 2014 the Conservative government cut funding to parks by over $29 million.My favourite national park, Kejimkujik, is in my riding of West Nova. This beautiful park was once used for year-round hiking, camping and skiing. Can the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change tell me and my constituents what is being done to improve our national parks and ensure year-round access?
Mr. Speaker, this is a good step for Canada. The most important thing is that Canada has maintained its access to the American market, and we have done away with the dispute settlement system that allowed companies to sue Canada for hundreds of millions of dollars. That is no more. We got rid of the clause that prevented our government from controlling access to our resources. The new auto sector rules will protect our workers in this industry. We have strong chapters on labour and the environment. We have protected chapter 19.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding of NewmarketAurora, like all of us, there are a number of successful women entrepreneurs. However, we know that women entrepreneurs face unique barriers and challenges. Fewer than 16% of SMEs are majority women-owned in Canada. Only 8.4% of women-owned businesses export, compared to almost 13% of men-owned. Women who own businesses have a much more difficult time accessing capital. Could the Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion update the House on what she is doing to help support women entrepreneurs and to build a more inclusive and strong economy?
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his excellent work on the committee.As we all know, our government is committed to strengthening victims' rights in the military justice system.That is what we are doing with Bill C-77, which adds a declaration of victims rights to the Code of Service Discipline.Bill C-77 ensures that victims rights are upheld and allows the victims to have the help of a liaison officer to navigate in the military justice system.
Mr. Speaker, in short, our accomplishments are as follows: we have worked with North Korea and shown leadership on this critical issue by hosting a meeting with 20 countries in Vancouver. On Venezuela, we are an important member of the Lima Group. As for peace operations, Canada will deploy an air task force to the United Nations Mission in Mali; it is really doing a great job. Regarding Myanmar, we have responded to the crisis by providing more than $300 million. We have made other exemplary accomplishments to ensure that those responsible are
Mr. Speaker, we know how proud Canadians are of our public health care system. We will continue to work with the provinces, territories and our partners to reduce drug costs and provide timely access to drugs. This is a very important issue for our government. We look forward to attracting new medical research to Canada. Our government will always defend our public health care system.
Mr. Speaker, let me continue with the list of successes in the renegotiated NAFTA.This agreement is a massive step forward for progressive trade. We, for example, have the strongest labour chapter of any trade agreement to which Canada is party. In fact, the enforceable provisions that protect women's rights, minority rights, indigenous rights and environmental protections are the strongest in any Canadian trade agreement to date.As National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations recently said, The provisions addressing Indigenous Peoples in the USMCA make it the most inclusive international trade agreement for Indigenous peoples to date.This is a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians. We are working with the provinces and territories to make prescription drugs more affordable. We have joined the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which has helped Canadians save over $2 billion annually. We are investing more than $140 million to improve access to health care and support innovation in that area.
Mr. Speaker, for far too long indigenous people have fought to have their rights recognized and implemented. As a government, we are committed to doing things differently. While we set a high bar to begin with for TMX consultations, we understand that we can and must do better. That is why we will not appeal the court's decision. We share the court's view on moving forward by engaging in meaningful and focused consultations with indigenous groups. That is exactly what we intend to do.
Mr. Speaker, dairy producers in my region are concerned about the free trade agreement that was reached with the United States and Mexico. They are upset with the attitude of the Prime Minister, who not only opened up our market to American products and eliminated class 7, but also put a cap on Canadian exports. That defies reason. As we have learned with the trans-Pacific partnership, the government cannot be trusted to offer fair compensation.When will the Prime Minister finally start respecting dairy farmers and when will the details of the compensation package be announced?
Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDs in Canada and we are proud to have increased spending in this area following the cuts by the Harper government. This year, our government is investing $87 million across the country to tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted blood-borne diseases in Canada. We are also providing funding of $30 million under the new harm reduction fund to prevent and control HIV and hepatitis C among people who share drug equipment.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government said that chapter 32, which requires us to get Washington's permission to negotiate free trade with certain countries, was not a big deal because, any party to NAFTA is allowed...to leave with six months' notice. That is ridiculous. The government knows full well that Canada is not going to quit a trade deal on which one in five Canadian jobs depend. Effectively, the government has given up our independence in setting trade policy for Asia-Pacific. Yes, the government got a deal, but at what cost?
Mr. Speaker, during Women's History Month, we celebrate women who make an impact. One way to make a significant impact is to help young women across Canada reach their leadership goals. We all remember last year when this place was filled with young women from coast to coast to coast in the first ever Daughters of the Vote program.Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Status of Women tell the House how our government is supporting the next generation of women leaders in Canada?
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, it seems that the Conservatives' only plan to tackle climate change is to keep pollution free again. While they are scratching out some make-believe plan on the back of a napkin, we are actually moving forward with measures that will reduce emissions and keep life more affordable for Canadians. We are investing in public transit, we are investing in clean technology, we are putting a price on pollution, and this is what Canadians deserve.
Mr. Speaker, Canada gave up none of its sovereignty in this deal. We have the capacity to enter into agreements with any country in the world when we believe it is in Canada's interest. By the way, these provisions apply to all three countries that were party to the negotiation. It is very hard to predict what one country or another may feel two, six or eight years from now. However, one thing we know for sure: Canada is free to enter into negotiations with any country that it chooses.
Mr. Speaker, the government got a good deal.Let me explain something. The Conservative post-battle courage is ironic, given that last year, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives were imploring us to capitulate and accept any deal at any price. Let me quote from Harper's memo, it does not matter whether current American proposals are worse than what we have now. Over and over, the Conservatives urged us to take Harper's advice. That was not our approach, and we got a good deal.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. We are supporting the workers all across Canada to make sure that major projects get the licence they need to move forward, but we need to do so in the right way and respect the courts, respect indigenous communities and respect the environment, something that is completely foreign to the Conservatives. We will take no lessons from them.
Mr. Speaker, we have legislation that is currently going through Parliament that addresses some gaps and weaknesses dealing with legal weapons. We have enhanced background checks, ensuring that sellers will verify, ensuring that vendors keep records of sales to allow for tracking. We are going in the right direction and we will move forward.
Mr. Speaker, on indigenous consultations, we have a clear path forward provided to us by the Federal Court of Appeal. That includes three concrete steps. First, we will not appeal the court's decision. Second, we will re-engage phase three consultations with all indigenous groups impacted and ensure that indigenous voices are at the table so we can have a meaningful dialogue, which is a two-way dialogue. We will not only listen, we will exchange and seek to accommodate where possible. Third, we have appointed the Hon. Frank Iacobucci as federal adviser to oversee the consultation process. We believe it is worth taking the time to get it right, together.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the question grossly mis-characterized what is happening across Canada. The plan we put in place specifically invites the provinces and territories to come up with a plan. When they fail to take steps responsibly that will actually meet the targets we have set across Canada, we will implement a federal backstop to ensure that Canadians, no matter which province they live in, benefit from a healthy environment. The great thing about our plan is that it is simple. It puts a price on pollution. It is going to make life more affordable for Canadians and more expensive for polluters.
Mr. Speaker, the full and equal participation of women in the economy is essential to Canada's competitiveness. That is why, last week, I announced the women entrepreneurship ecosystem fund. It is an up to $85-million fund that will strengthen and help women entrepreneurs succeed. This program will close gaps. It will make it easier for people to find the mentorship they need. It will help organizations better respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs and will produce the kinds of initiatives they have been asking for. According to the Mackenzie Institute, addressing women's empowerment has the potential of adding $150 billion to the Canadian economy.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, we are not talking about benefits for veterans and their families. We are talking about benefits for the adult children of veterans. Veterans who are injured serving Canada have to pay for the counselling of their adult children because of the effects of those injuries on them. Chris Garnier is an adult child of a veteran, yet he is in prison for murder and receiving benefits.Now the minister says he has no idea how many family members of veterans are receiving benefits from his department. Can the minister assure us that no other adult children or prison inmates are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, this year the Liberals have cut funding for HIV and AIDs treatments in northern Saskatchewan, despite the record high number of cases in the province. Nurses and health professionals have called on the government to take urgent action. After meeting with Elton John, the Prime Minister said he is committed to creating an AIDS-free future.Now that he has heard from health professionals and a Grammy winner, will the Prime Minister restore funding immediately to Saskatchewan HIV/AIDS organizations, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, with Manitoba coming out strongly against the Liberal government's carbon tax this week, the Prime Minister's signature initiative now has the support of just two provincial governments. I asked the environment minister a clear question yesterday, and today I hope for an actual answer. There seems to be a clear consensus among experts on all sides of the issue that the government will not come close to meeting its international climate change commitments. Could the minister confirm that the government is in fact not on track to meet its Paris agreement targets?
Mr. Speaker, in renegotiating NAFTA, Canada knuckled under to Donald Trump's demand to extend copyrights from 50 to 70 years after the death of the author. A citizen from Saguenay, Mr. Jean-Marie Tremblay, has been assembling a collection of more than 7,000 works over the past 25 years. The change in copyright law will have a major impact on these essential works for our students.Is the government aware that letting Donald Trump rewrite our laws could adversely impact our education system?
Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax considerably increases the cost of living for Canadians. The cost of manufacturing and shipping is higher for everything people buy. Fortunately, several provinces are pulling out of this tax, which is unfair for Canadians, especially for low-income families. We know very well that this tax is used to pay the huge debt the Liberals have created.Instead of misleading Canadians by saying it will give us back that money, will the government commit immediately to abolishing this tax so that Canadian taxpayers have more money in their pockets?
Mr. Speaker, nearly two years ago, the defence committee recommended that service records of those kicked out of the military for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender be revised to honourable discharges, and nothing happened.Nearly a year ago, the Liberal government issued a formal apology to those women and men, and nothing happened. When will the Minister of National Defence put in place a process to revise the service records of these former members of the Canadian Forces who are still waiting for their honourable service to be acknowledged?
Mr. Speaker, in that very memo, Stephen Harper predicted that the government would capitulate. It turns out Stephen Harper was absolutely right about that. It capitulated and imposed higher drug prices on Canadian seniors so Donald Trump's corporations could make higher profits. It capitulated, giving Trump a veto power over Canadian trade deals with other countries. It capitulated and imposed Canadian penalties on Canadian dairy products being exported abroad. Meanwhile, the government did not get any relief for the U.S. protectionism on Canadian products. When will the government finally stop backing down from Donald Trump?
The Minister of Seniors seems to prefer avoiding questions about pension protection for Canadian workers and retirees. Hard-working Canadians deserve answers from the government. When the minister was appointed, her mandate clearly stated that she was to conduct hearings and to protect workers' pensions. Canadian workers have heard nothing since. Why is she refusing to listen to Canadian workers and retirees? Will the minister take action on changing Canada's bankruptcy and insolvency laws, yes or no?
Mr. Speaker, we are familiar with the project and understand there has been some developments as recently as April.The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is conducting the environmental assessment of this project under the CEAA 2012 rules.Our government understands the importance of timely decisions while ensuring that those decisions are based on science, facts, the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, input from the public and, of course, evidence. I am certain that the agency will work in collaboration with the minister to make a recommendation, and a responsible decision will be taken in due course.
Mr. Speaker, I take it there is no compensation, then. It is disappointing, but that is always how it goes with Ottawa. The government promises to compensate the losers in the agreement, but it forgets all about them as soon as it is done signing.The same thing happened with the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the free trade agreement between Canada and the EFTA and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement. Now, we have the agreement between Canada and Europe, the new trans-Pacific partnership and the new NAFTA, in which our producers have been sacrificed. We have been through this before.When will the government finally come up with a plan that fully compensates dairy producers for the last three agreements, which it signed at their expense?
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Trans Mountain pipeline fiasco, the Liberals keep repeating the words meaningful consultation, but clearly have no idea what it actually means. How can it be meaningful when the Prime Minister slams his fist on the table again and again, saying this pipeline must be built? How can it be meaningful when the Liberals bought the 65-year-old pipeline, essentially making themselves both judge and jury? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. How long is it going to be until the Liberals simply dump their failed strategy and actually begin to respect indigenous rights and title?
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should understand that our government fully supports steel and aluminum workers. That is why we provided a $2-billion support package to address the concerns specifically in the steel and aluminum sector. This $2-billion support package will help small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with additional financing through BDC and export financing through EDC. We are very confident that this plan in the short term will help them and we will continue to engage our American counterparts to find resolution on section 232 regarding steel and aluminum.
Mr. Speaker, we share Canadians' serious concerns about gun violence and will be working hard to address the problem. We have a very comprehensive review being done by Minister Blair at the present time. We will enhance background checks and will be removing the five-year limitation, allowing any history of violence, including mental illness associated with violence, to be considered when someone applies for a licence. This is a good step in the right direction.
Mr. Speaker, it was interesting to hear in the House today the NDP saying that we should not even engage with first nations and should abandon the project, and now we are hearing the Conservatives saying that we are not going fast enough and to disregard the courts completely.We will take no lessons from the Conservatives, who cut corners at every turn. They disregarded environmental concerns, and they also think that consulting with indigenous peoples is a suggestion and not a constitutional obligation.The Conservatives did not build a single kilometre of pipeline to overseas markets. The Leader of the Opposition is doubling down. It is déjà vu all over again. It is clear that the Conservatives have learned nothing from their decade of failure on major projects.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we joined our allies in exposing malicious cyber operations by the Russian military, specifically the GRU. These acts form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that flout international norms, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order. We call on all of those who value this order to come together in its defence. Our position towards Russia remains clear and strong. We will always stand up to these cyber-threats and we will never let Russia threaten Canadian stability or security.
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the government was elected on a commitment to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time. We are moving forward with a plan to protect the environment that includes a price on pollution. It is disappointing that Manitoba will not take threats posed to the environment seriously.With respect to the question on the Paris agreement, we are confident that we can reach the Paris agreement without question. We are moving forward with plans that include not just a price on pollution, but advancements in public transit, investments in clean technology and an oceans protection plan as well.
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' so-called plan to get Trans Mountain built will not get shovels in the ground for years. The Minister of Natural Resources came to my riding this summer and turned some sod, and that photo-op is the extent of their progress on this file. The project was the most highly consulted in Canadian history, but the Liberals are starting from scratch. Their plan failed. When will the Liberals start using all the tools at their disposal and get this pipeline built?
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on World Teachers' Day to acknowledge the contribution of our teachers and thank them. We know that their efforts go well beyond the classroom.In response to the member's question, we as a government take pension security very seriously. That is why we increased the CPP, something that has not been done in 20 years.Further, with respect to his question, we know that this is a decades-old problem. Our government is committed to getting the right solution, which is why in our 2018 budget we have committed to consulting with stakeholders. In my mandate letter it is also a commitment that we made.We are not looking for any solution. We are looking for the right solution.
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister were serious about ensuring that Trans Mountain moves ahead, he would be doing everything possible to make it happen. He should have begun consultations and appealed the court decision immediately. Why is the Prime Minister incapable of consulting and appealing at the same time?
Mr. Speaker, once again, the hon. member completely mis-characterized what is going on. If he does not believe me, I invite him to read the report of Mark Cameron. Even Stephen Harper's former director of policy has indicated that this government's plan is going to put more money into the pockets of Canadian families and at the same time lead to a reduction in emissions. It is disappointing in the extreme that the hon. member will take money from his constituents to make pollution free again.
Mr. Speaker, one of the good things about having a drama teacher as prime minister is that it is very entertaining.The Prime Minister has been acting like he is standing up to Donald Trump, when it reality, he has just backed down. He backed down from Donald Trump and agreed to impose higher drug prices on Canadian seniors, for higher profits for American drug companies. He backed down from Donald Trump, giving the U.S. President a veto over Canadian trade deals with other foreign countries. He backed down from Donald Trump and imposed Canadian export controls on our dairy products.When will the Prime Minister stop backing down and start standing up for our country?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Transport dodged my question about a possible public inquiry into the Lac-Mégantic tragedy by claiming that the people of Lac-Mégantic were not interested.The very same day, however, the Coalition des citoyens et organismes engagés pour la sécurité ferroviaire de Lac-Mégantic was on the Hill calling for that very commission of inquiry.The minister is correct when he says the people of Lac-Mégantic do not want to relive the events of five years ago. They want to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.Will the minister listen to the people of Lac-Mégantic and order a truly independent public inquiry?
Mr. Speaker, as we said earlier in our first answer, we have figures, and they are simple. Last year, 1,400 veterans received services. We will continue to deliver them. Our priority is to provide benefits to veterans and their families. Last year, 1,400 veterans out of 129,143 ill veterans received them. We are there to meet their needs. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. Any determination regarding the services available to the family members of veterans is made in consultation with case managers. This will continue to be the case.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Lac-Mégantic want an inquiry. Will the government give them one? When the agreement with Europe was signed, the government promised to compensate the provinces for the increase in drug costs and the impact on health care costs. It was even included in the mandate letter for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Three years later, there is nothing, not even a hint of a program. Now the government is simply adding to this with the new NAFTA, which raises the cost of drugs a second time, again without compensation. When will the government keep its promise and compensate Quebec for the agreements it signs?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with Canadian and Quebec dairy farmers to really take stock of the cracks opened up by the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement. He acknowledged that farmers will suffer a bit. The reality is that farmers will suffer a lot when they lose a months wages. This is huge and completely unacceptable. My question is very simple: how does the Liberal government manage to be so bad at listening to the Quebec dairy industry?
Mr. Speaker, Liberals do not listen to Quebec producers. Family farms are at risk, and the next generation of farmers is worried because with this agreement Liberals opened another breach in the supply management system.Supply management was already weakened by breaches in CETA. The Liberals once again used agricultural producers as bargaining chips. When Liberals abandon supply management, they abandon middle-class families and the next generation of farmers.My question is very simple: do they realize this?
Mr. Speaker, with respect, we now know that the Conservatives have no plan. Their leader has no plan. They will not even commit to meeting the Paris targets. This is because Conservatives are focused on
Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour to attend the memorial for Chief Wah Tah Keght, Henry Alfred, of northern British Columbia. He was the last living Wetsuweten chief who argued the Delgamuukw case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He stood on the stand hour after hour while government lawyers tried to break down his understanding and knowledge of his territory, and he won. He won establishing rights and title and the ability of indigenous peoples to stand in the country for those sacred rights.How exactly are the Liberals honouring Chief Wah Tah Keght's memory and all the indigenous communities and leaders who have fought for that principle, generation after generation?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, our Conservative government gave its support to the Beauport 2020 project, which seeks to further develop the Port of Québec. Sixty million dollars were earmarked for the project. This support was contingent on the project clearing public consultations and a Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency assessment.Once these legal hurdles have been cleared, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, along with cabinet, will have to decide whether to give the project the green light.Is the government expecting to reach a decision soon? Can it give us specific time frames?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Russian military has engaged in a number of serious cyber-attacks. Not surprisingly, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were targeted. These attacks were designed by the Russians to disrupt investigations into Russia's numerous violations of international law, in particular, the nerve attack in the United Kingdom.I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs what specific action is she going to take in response to these Russian attacks on Canada, and will she introduce new sanctions and expel members of the Russian diplomatic corps from Canada?
Mr. Speaker, this is not about any one party's position on free trade with China; it is about our sovereignty to negotiate those kinds of deals. The Liberals also sold us out on our exchange rate policy, on our central bank policy. As Greece has found out, if we do not control our central bank, we do not have a sovereign state. If Washington does not like our exchange rate, chapter 33 forces us into consultations to arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. The Liberals were so desperate to get a deal, any deal, they sold Canada out on our central bank policy. Again, yes, they got a deal, but at what price?
Mr. Speaker, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call on the government to implement a program that provides financial compensation to egg, poultry and dairy farmers for all the losses they sustain due to the breaches to the supply management system in CETA, the CPTPP and the USMCA, and that it do so before asking parliamentarians to vote on the USMCA.
Mr. Speaker, trying to get a seat on the Security Council is commendable, but the governments strategy simply does not cut it. Canada lags far behind other OECD countries in funding development assistance. The Liberals are also failing to do enough to fight climate change or to promote world peace, particularly in the Middle East. Our allies are disappointed, and Canadas reputation, unfortunately, is not improving. Do the Liberals realize that simply saying that Canada is back is not enough and that action is needed?
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Statistics Canada reported that our country has lost 24,000 manufacturing jobs over the past year. Among the factors depressing Canadian manufacturing employment are American tariffs on our steel and aluminum exports. The new free trade deal with the U.S. should have ensured tariff-free access to the U.S. market.Does the government have a plan and a timeline to remove American tariffs from Canadian metal?
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Global News reported that Veterans Affairs has absolutely no idea how many family members receive benefits. Canadians are already appalled that the minister refuses to end funding for the murderer of officer Catherine Campbell. Could the minister assure Canadians that no other murderers, like Chris Garnier, are receiving benefits that are intended for veterans?
Mr. Speaker, on average, more than one member of the Canadian Forces dies by suicide each month. Unfortunately, serving members often struggle to get the help they need, with one barrier being that self-harm is still a disciplinary offence under the military code of conduct. This policy is archaic and does nothing but keep the men and women serving our country who face mental health challenges from seeking help.Will the minister support the NDP amendment to Bill C-77 to remove self-harm as a disciplinary offence and help serving members get the help they need and deserve?
Mr. Speaker, our colleagues opposite are telling us that we do not have any figures, but we do. As I mentioned earlier, nearly 1,400 veterans received this service through all agencies. We work tirelessly to provide veterans and their families with the care that they need. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe that when veterans serve their country, their whole family serves with them. Veterans remain the focus of the services we deliver. For any determination regarding the services delivered to members, we will be there. We know that this was the case for about 1,400 veterans last year. I am not sure that the intention of the members opposite is to say that it is a bad thing to
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind everyone it was Saskatchewan that was the first province to stand up to the Liberal government and oppose what Premier Moe calls the destructive, made-in-Ottawa carbon tax. Now Saskatchewan is joined by Ontario, PEI, Manitoba and Alberta, and there will be more. In Saskatoon yesterday, the premiers, Moe and Ford, met and declared a strong united front against this worst tax ever. Canadians cannot afford another Liberal tax.When will the Liberals respect the provinces and end this carbon tax?
Mr. Speaker, every day the Liberals fail to get our oil to new markets it costs Canadians $50 million in lost revenue because of deep discounts to our American consumers. Continued delays on the Trans Mountain expansion mean Canadian jobs are at stake. The Liberals must immediately appeal the Federal Court decision and request a leave so construction can continue.Why do the Liberals not recognize that they can consult and appeal at the same time, or are they just purposely stalling this project?
Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?
Mr. Speaker, Constable Sarah Beckett paid the ultimate sacrifice when she was killed in the line of duty by an impaired driver.This week her husband, Brad Aschenbrenner, spoke out against Bill C-75, which waters down sentences for impaired driving causing bodily harm.Will the Liberals listen to Sarah's husband and other victims, and remove from Bill C-75 the watering down of sentences for this serious crime?
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from the parliamentary secretary's response that the Liberals do not understand the question and are certainly failing on another issue. Thousands of small businesses need clarity today on whether the government is going to move ahead with this poorly drafted regulation, or if common sense will prevail and a deferral will be issued and a new regulation drafted. Will the minister do his job, meet with industry so it can provide its expertise on firearms markings, and fix this flawed regulation to avoid further negative impacts on Canadian businesses?
Mr. Speaker, getting rid of the investor-state provision was actually a demand of Donald Trump's. The Liberals actually support investor-state protections. They put them in the CPTPP and in CETA. So to now take credit for a capitulation they made in favour of Trump is laughable.As for this ratchet clause, the Liberals were trying to flip through the deal to find something they had won on. It turns out this ratchet clause has never been used in 30 years, just to show how irrelevant this so-called victory was. The Liberals got nothing on steel tariffs, nothing on softwood tariffs and nothing on buy America. Why did they get so little
Mr. Speaker, one of the only Canadian firearms manufacturers has stalled production, pending confirmation of the firearms marking regulation set to come into force December 1. Twenty-five thousand people are employed by 4,500 firearms businesses in Canada and they just want to get on with their business.Will the minister advise us when the government will announce another 11th hour deferral or if this poorly drafted regulation will come into force on December 1? Distributors, dealers and manufacturers need some clarity so they can get on with their business.