Debates of Dec. 10th, 2015

Regina—Lewvan

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it's a great honour to be one of the first New Democratic MPs elected from Saskatchewan in over a decade. Far be it for me to stand up and declare, “Canada's back”, but I am pleased to report that the birthplace of Canadian social democracy is back.

Saskatchewan's new MPs have enjoyed our first week in this House. Tomorrow, I will go to Rideau Hall for the presentation of a Meritorious Service Medal to one of my constituents. Kim Sutherland founded Street Culture Kidz in 1997 to provide housing, education programming, and work experience to at-risk youth in Regina.

We thank Kim for his service to our community.

Agricultural Producers

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House that the Speech from the Throne did not contain a single word, let alone a paragraph, about our farmers. Maybe this new government simply made a mistake, one that is very embarrassing for its members from Canada's rural areas. It will be hard for those members to look farmers in the eye and say that they are standing up for them in this Parliament.

The Canada we treasure today was built on family farms. Products evolve, and so does technology, but one thing remains the same: from long before sunrise until well after sunset, Canadian farmers work tirelessly to feed our country.

Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector contributes over $100 billion to the Canadian economy every year and employs over two million people.

The Conservative Party has always made farmers a priority, and we will continue to do so on this side of the House.

42nd General Election

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, T'was the week before Christmas, and all through the land
A spankin' new government was now in command.
We will soon settle in for debating and voting;
But after 10 years over there, forgive me for gloating.

It began August 2nd, an eleven week campaign;
Which Canadian voters believed was insane.

Conservatives were disappointed, not pleased with their tally;
They expected more bounce from that Rob Ford rally.
Their refugee plan left them wounded and smarting
When it became disembowelled by Rosemary Barton.
And the cultural practices tip line, add that to the list;
Yes the Tories were angry, but the Dippers, they were...pretty angry too.
The loss left them stinging, all wounded and sore
When all they said they needed was 35 seats more.

And our Green Party leader, she has no room to laugh;
Her fledgling young party was reduced by one half.
Canadians have spoken and have done so with zeal;
They want hope for the future and change that is real.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I was given an indication by members to my left, actually, that I should be generous to the member for Cape Breton—Canso with the time for his statement, this time, given the season and all.

Taxation

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, during the election, the Liberals promised to keep the deficit at $10 billion.

Unfortunately for taxpayers, that promise has already been broken. The Prime Minister cannot keep blaming others. He is the one in charge of spending now.

What is his new number, $20 billion, $30 billion, or $40 billion? How high will his deficit get?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we were very clear from the outset that we would always be open and transparent with Canadians when it comes to the state of our finances and our projections.

We have always said that there are two cornerstones: continuing to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio and restoring fiscal balance by 2019.

The Economy

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in my home province of Alberta, people are worried. With dropping oil prices, tens of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs. Now what has been the Prime Minister's response? Nothing. Not a mention to date. If it were the auto sector or the aerospace sector, the Liberals would be scrambling to help, but to the Prime Minister, I guess Albertans are just collateral damage.

Why is the Prime Minister turning his back on Albertans in their time of need?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government made a big show about being a great friend to Alberta and to the oil industry, but, unfortunately, for 10 years the Conservatives got nothing done. For 10 years they were not able to build a pipeline. They built their entire strategy around hoping that oil prices would remain high, and when those did not, they were unable to help Alberta. That is why we are working hard to lower taxes for the middle class and to get our resources to market sustainably and environmentally responsibly.

National Defence

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that will be cold comfort to people in Alberta who are facing Christmas without a job right now, but we look forward to the green jobs that the Prime Minister will create very shortly.

Let us remember that the refugees who are arriving tonight are fleeing from ISIS. Canada made the right decision to send our CF-18s as part of the global fight. The Liberal Party has demonstrated a total failure in leadership by stepping back.

If they will not show leadership, this Conservative Party will. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and vote with us tonight and keep our CF-18s in the fight?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have made clear many times, Canada continues to be engaged in a robust manner with the coalition, including militarily, on top of great initiatives for humanitarian aid and refugees. Not only are our allies understanding of that, they are supportive of that. In fact, for the first time in almost 20 years, the White House will be hosting a Canadian prime minister for a state dinner. That is the kind of good relationship we are building with our allies.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, when President Obama alluded to his allies in the fight against ISIS, he named Germany, France, and Great Britain, but made no mention of Canada.

In this week's Speech from the Throne, this government describes the United States as its best friend and partner. Again yesterday, the Obama administration called on its allies to ramp up their support in the fight against ISIS.

Is it fitting for a Prime Minister of Canada to turn his back on Canada's main friend and partner by ceasing air strikes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, the previous government ignored its relationship with the United States. It caused trouble and was hostile and insulting toward the United States on numerous occasions.

We are a taking a positive tone in building a better relationship and creating better jobs in Canada. What is more, the United States has just invited the Canadian Prime Minister to a state dinner in Washington for the first time in 19 years.

Democratic Institutions

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister alluded to the process that resulted in the unilateral patriation of the Constitution in 1982 to justify the fact that he would not hold a referendum on his democratic reform.

Can the Prime Minister explain to Quebeckers and Canadians why the 1982 patriation is a good example to follow for democratic reform?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very curious that the Conservative Party is so concerned about consulting Canadians when, for the first time in our country's history, the Conservatives introduced electoral reform without consulting Canadians or even the opposition parties.

You wanted to change the rules to your advantage. However, Canadians were not fooled and did not go down that road.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would remind the Prime Minister to address the Speaker. I believe he knows that I did no such thing.

Indigenous Affairs

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson made a stark admission that there are racists in the RCMP. What specifically is the government doing to combat this racism?

Will the government make the mandate of the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women broad enough to include issues like systemic racism in judicial and police institutions in Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, obviously racism in any form is unacceptable and runs contrary to Canada's long history of diversity and inclusion.

The Government of Canada is committed to real change and supports decisive action by the RCMP to hold its members accountable. As we are beginning the process of an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, we will of course fold in a broad range of stakeholders and questions to ensure that we create justice and accountability in a nation-to-nation relationship moving forward.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the government's plan to usher in a new era in its relations with indigenous peoples.

However, the government should realize that after years of disappointment and broken promises, it has an obligation to produce results. The Prime Minister has promised to put an end to boiled water advisories in all reserves in Canada.

Can the Prime Minister tell us when his government will present a plan with specific timelines for fulfilling this commitment during his term of office as promised?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that there are so many communities without access to drinking water in a country such as Canada.

During the election campaign, the Government of Canada undertook to ensure that within five years these communities would no longer have to boil their water. We will work with these communities and make the necessary investments to eliminate this serious problem.

Canada Post

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is a quote about Canada Post: “We will save home mail delivery.”

Did the Prime Minister say that or not?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party clearly committed to stopping Canada Post from installing the community mailboxes it was forcing on people under the former government, and we also committed to working with Canadians, taxpayers, Canada Post, and stakeholder groups to ensure that Canadians get the postal service they deserve.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last year the Federal Court ruled that withholding health care from refugees was “cruel and unusual” and it ordered the federal government to reinstate the federal health program.

During the campaign the Liberals promised to fully restore health care for all refugees, but yesterday we learned that the Liberal government is restoring federal health benefits for refugees from only one country. Ignoring the courts is not real change; it is what we had before the election.

Why is the Liberal leader picking and choosing which vulnerable people can get help?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada committed to restoring health funding for refugees. We will be doing exactly that.

National Defence

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear in the House today that the Prime Minister is really excited about quaffing champagne and nibbling on canapés in the White House.

However, here is what he has to say about terrorism. He has an aversion to talking about terrorism, talking to Canadians about the reality of terrorism. He said in this very House, “what we will not do is continue trying to talk about it and give ISIS any free publicity”. Meanwhile, our American allies, our French allies, our British allies have no problem calling out ISIS.

Why are the Liberals' sitting quietly by while our allies take on the burden alone?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the question is why my hon. colleague is distorting the policy of the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada is very proud of what the men and women in uniform are doing. They are courageous, and they are requested by all of our allies in order to strengthen our contribution in the coalition. We will do it in an effective way, an efficient way, an optimal way, and courageously, as Canada always does.