Navdeep Bains

[Foreign Investment, March 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our number one priority is the economy, and we realize we need to be open to trade, open to people, and open to investment. That is why we looked at this transaction and asked if it is in our overall net economic benefit, and yes it is.

We did our due diligence. We made sure that the employment levels will remain high. We will make sure that Retirement Concepts has the additional resources it needs to expand. We did our job. It is good for British Columbia, good for the economy, and good for seniors.

[Aerospace Industry, March 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, this investment that we made was for the aerospace sector, a critical sector in the Canadian economy that contributes over $28 billion to our overall growth, that contributes 211,000 jobs to our economy. This investment was critical and that is why when we made this investment we did do our due diligence in advance of entering into an agreement with Bombardier.

I am aware of the situation regarding Bombardier in Sweden. Any questions related to specific activities of the company should be directed to the company, but we did do our due diligence.

[Innovation, Science and Economic Development, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for New Brunswick Southwest for her leadership on this file. As the member well knows, we are in a global innovation race. That is why we are open to trade, investment, and people. Today we announced the launch of the global skills strategy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, who will reduce the visa processing time to two weeks for Canadian businesses. This will allow Canadian companies to grow and create Canadian jobs across all regions and all sectors. This is good for growth. This is good for high-quality jobs.

[Foreign Investment, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like assure the member that the concerns he is raising are the same concerns we had. That is why we were engaged with the British Columbian government and health authority. They provided the operating licences based on those same concerns, which is making sure Retirement Concepts, which is managed and operated by Canadians, will ensure it provides a level of service and quality to those seniors at the highest level.

Again, the bottom line here is that this is good for investment. This is good for British Columbia. This is good for the economy, and of course for seniors.

[Taxation, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite wants to talk about jobs, so let us talk about jobs. There have been 286,000 jobs created since the Liberals formed government. These jobs are being created across the country. Let me highlight a few key examples because of our policies. We worked with Bell Helicopter to secure 900 jobs and, more important, create an additional 100 new jobs. GE invested in Welland to create 220 jobs. Thomson Reuters is investing in up to 1,500 jobs. GM Canada hired 1,000 new engineers. There are more jobs to come.

[Foreign Investment, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and our government have shown leadership when it comes to the economy. We understand that every decision we make must focus on growth and jobs. We need to attract global investment if we are to succeed globally and if we are to create the opportunities for Canadians, for women in particular, and for the youth going forward. That is why we are open to investment.

In regard to this transaction, we followed the process. We made sure the Retirement Concept deal that was put forward was done in a manner that was in the overall net economic benefit for British Columbians and for Canadians. It is good for the economy and it is good for jobs.

[Foreign Investment, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our approach has been very straightforward. Our approach is about the economy and about jobs. We care about our economy. We know that is the number one priority Canadians have expressed to us. Part of that challenge is making sure we attract investments to Canada. We believe in global investment. We believe in the opportunities it presents to our businesses.

Any decision under the Investment Canada Act is taken very seriously. We do our due diligence. We do our homework. We make sure we follow the process. Under the Investment Canada Act, this transaction was in the overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved the project.

[Foreign Investment, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we follow the process. We do our due diligence. Under the Investment Canada Act, there are clear criteria to determine that any transaction has to be of an overall net economic benefit for us to proceed. We made that determination based on the facts. The facts are that this transaction will provide additional resources to Retirement Concepts so it can expand and provide better services to seniors, so it can expand and create more jobs. This is good for the health care sector. This is good for the economy. This is good for British Columbia.

[Foreign Investment, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised again why the Conservative Party, and particularly that member, is opposing global investment into Canada. We understand that we want investments into Canada to grow the economy, to create opportunities for Canadians, and to create jobs.

This investment and this transaction was following the Investment Canada Act. We did our due diligence. We followed the process and we determined it was an overall net economic benefit. That is the decision we made, and that is why the British Columbia government and the health minister also provided the operating licences for these retirement care facilities, which are managed and operated by Canadians for Canadians.

[Foreign Investment, March 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Retirement Concepts now is managed by Canadians and it is going to be operated by Canadians to serve Canadians. It will have additional resources by Cedar Tree. These additional resources will allow the company to expand, and when it expands, that will create opportunities for seniors. These additional resources will also create economic opportunities like good-quality jobs.

We are a government that supports global investment. We believe in growing the economy. We believe in supporting the health care sector. We believe this is an overall net economic benefit. That is why we approved this transaction.