COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on June 15th, 2020

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

That's like when I'm asking for a full meal and your handing me a few jellybeans and saying, “Why aren't you happy with that?”

Mr. Chair, here's the thing. It's like switching a light on and off when it's convenient for the Prime Minister and for the Liberal Party. That's what they want to do here. That's not Parliament. That's not democracy. When will Mr. Trudeau do the right thing, turn the lights on and get back to work for Canadians?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

I'm really sorry to hear that my colleague's not working. I can assure you, Mr. Chair, on this side of the House, we're all actually working very hard and we're answering the questions from the opposition. Why? It's because it's extremely important.

I sat there for seven years asking questions. I understand important—

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

The member opposite knows very well that he is misleading the Canadian public. This is not true Parliament. This is simply a special committee. Here's the thing. On the Liberal Party website, under the platform commitment, it says that Parliament works best when its members are free “to do what they have been elected to do”, and that is be the voice for their communities and “hold the government to account.”

This is a Liberal document. Did the Prime Minister forget that strengthening Parliament was part of his 2019 platform commitment?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for quoting our excellent platform. That was a very very good document.

The thing is, I think we've reached a balance whereby MPs can come from different places, mostly around Ottawa, and ask questions; but also we can have colleagues from across the country asking questions. Why does my colleague think it is better to have only 35 MPs participating instead of 338?

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Does the Prime Minister value democracy, or does he still look up to China's basic dictatorship?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, we're answering all the questions from the opposition, not only from the people in this room, but we're answering—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It's back to Ms. Harder now.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

I'll ask the question again. Does the Prime Minister still value the basic dictatorship of China over Canada's democracy?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

I don't know where the colleague wants to go from here, Mr. Chair. I'd like to know from her why it is not important to her that her colleagues participate directly.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Trudeau wrote to his ministers and said to them that they continue “to raise the bar on openness, effectiveness and transparency.” He went on to explain that “This means...government that is open by default.”

We now have a parliament that is currently shut down. Mr. Trudeau has shut it down and has prevented us from being able to do to the good work that Canadians expect us to do. Is this Mr. Trudeau's idea of “open by default”?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, do they want to talk about shutting down Parliament? How about the time they prorogued Parliament twice—not only once, but twice? The Conservative government shut down Parliament twice. I was here. I was sitting on the other side of the aisle.

It's quite the opposite now. We're taking all the questions. This place is open, and we're answering questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

One moment, please. I haven't acknowledged you yet, Ms. Harder. We've stopped the time there.

I want to remind honourable members that questions and answers are being given, and we want to hear both sides. Please keep the heckling down.

Ms. Harder, please proceed.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

In 2014, the leader of the Liberal Party developed a policy resolution entitled “Restoring Trust in Canada's Democracy”. That's ironic, because right now, again, Parliament is currently shut down. We are prevented from being able to do the good work that we are expected to do.

At the time, the Prime Minister said, “Canadians want their Members of Parliament to be effective voices for their communities in Ottawa, and not merely mouthpieces in their communities for an all-too-powerful Prime Minister.”

Sadly, Mr. Trudeau has become the all-too-powerful prime minister that he once believed should not exist. Why did he change his mind?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to know why my colleague wants to shut down the voices of her colleagues who could not speak and could not participate in this room.

Mr. Chair, how would we vote on private members' bills, for example? As you know, it is not a government vote or a party vote; it's per row.

You want to come back? Are you going to accept—Mr. Chair, through you—that we have electronic voting, yes or no?

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll go on to Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Chair, we know that the Minister of Foreign Affairs has champagne tastes and London flats, but it's his champagne mortgages that Canadians are concerned about.

Specifically, why did the minister only disclose the complete extent of his personal debt to the Chinese government on June 4 of this year?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, as you know, since the minister entered politics, his two mortgages and other liabilities and assets have been fully disclosed to the Ethics Commissioner and placed on the online public registry. It's public, Mr. Chair. It's public.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Now it's public and it's terrible. When will the foreign affairs minister be here to answer these questions himself?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, it's always been public. We're in the middle of a pandemic here, trying to help Canadians, and the best they can do is ask questions about—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will go back to Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

When the minister owes over a million dollars to the Chinese government, people have a right to ask him questions. When will the Minister of Foreign Affairs show up?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

The minister shows up every day, Mr. Chair. He shows up and works for Canadians. Once again, those are public documents. Everything the minister did is public. I still don't know why they ask—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We'll now go back to Mr. Genuis.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Chair, he doesn't even have to come to the House. All he has to do is appear on the screen. Where is the minister? Why is he hiding? Why won't he answer questions about his personal debt to the Chinese government?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chair, if he goes online he's going to get the information.