House of Commons Hansard #7 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was riding.
Greg Fergus LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has undertaken an opportunity to encourage trade at all levels, especially internally. We will be working on this file very closely over the coming mandate. We hope that we will be able to encourage more interprovincial trade.
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government's decision to eliminate the toll on the Champlain Bridge will cost between $3 billion and $5 billion over the next 30 years. That is over $100 million a year.
Can the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities tell us whether this shortfall has been included in the Minister of Finance's projections, or is that just going to add to the deficit, which keeps getting bigger and bigger under the Liberals?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, as part of our commitment to the province of Quebec as well as the regional municipalities in the area of Montreal, we are going to live up to the commitment to make the new Champlain Bridge a toll-free bridge.
The current framework includes all the costs to build the bridge, to maintain it, and to run it. Everything is included in the current framework and tolling revenue will have no impact on our framework.
Robert Sopuck Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Mr. Speaker, one of the first acts of the Liberal government was to approve the dumping of eight billion litres of raw and untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River, one of Canada's most iconic waterways, in direct violation of Section 36 of the Fisheries Act. So much for the government's vaunted and phony commitments to science and the environment. Cities and municipalities downriver called it surprising, disgusting, and outrageous.
Why did the minister overturn the order issued by our previous Conservative government and allow important fish habitat in the St. Lawrence to be polluted in direct violation of the Fisheries Act?
Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, I will make sure that I get briefed on that. I will make sure that we look at this question for the member opposite and I will get back to him with an answer.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, under the previous government 20,000 Winnipeggers lost their door-to-door mail service along with many others across the country. During the campaign, the Prime Minister promised to restore that service but the government has been backpedalling ever since. I was quite shocked to read in the Free Press this week that Winnipeg Liberal MPs say that people in our city are happy with the cuts.
I am wondering if the Minister of Public Services and Procurement will explain to seniors and people living with disabilities struggling to stay in their family homes why the Prime Minister feels that promises made to them do not need to be kept and when exactly he told her it would be okay to let them down.
Leona Alleslev LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, Canada Post's plan to convert door-to-door delivery has been suspended, but this government is committed to a review and the review will ensure that Canada Post provides a high quality of service that Canadians expect at a reasonable price.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, let us review the the commitments.
During the election campaign, the Prime Minister met with the mayor of Montreal to talk about Canada Post. Standing by the mayor's side he clearly said, and I quote, “We are committed to restoring home mail delivery.” The message could not have been clearer. It was even recorded if the government needs help jogging its memory.
However, now that the Liberals are in power, the government is singing a different tune and fuelling cynicism.
Will the Prime Minister honour his commitment and restore home mail delivery?
Leona Alleslev LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, the plan to install community mailboxes has been suspended, but this government is committed to a conducting a full review of Canada Post. That review will involve Canadians across the country.
Marc Serré Liberal Nickel Belt, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the great people of Nickel Belt for electing me as a member of Parliament. It is an honour and privilege to serve them and this House.
The holidays can be a time of despair and loneliness that can result in tragedy for those suffering from severe mental health problems.
Could the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell the House what his department will do to help veterans in this situation?
Kent Hehr LiberalAssociate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Nickel Belt for his dedication to veterans. This can be a difficult time for many Canadians, including veterans. I want veterans to know that our government is here to help. Veterans and their families can immediately reach a mental health professional by contacting veterans assistance service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We will be launching a social media campaign to promote this service and to highlight the importance of reaching out for help.
I encourage all members of the House to spread the message and to support our veterans.
David Yurdiga Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, residents of northern Canada face punishing costs of living due to their remoteness and limited transportation. The Liberal campaign platform promised tax relief for the residents of Canada's northern zone through a 33% increase in allowable deductions for northern residency.
Northerners expect that this important tax cut would apply to the 2016 tax year. Why is the government already ignoring northern Canadians?
Yvonne Jones LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I want to say for the hon. member that we have made that commitment. We will be increasing the tax deduction for northerners in the coming days. It is a welcome commitment that we made in the election and it will be a welcome commitment the day it is implemented by our government.
David Yurdiga Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency's current TD1 form for 2016 and the description of the northern residence tax deduction currently show no increase to this important tax deduction.
Will the minister take the steps necessary to put in plan an enhanced northern residence tax deduction for the 2016 tax year?
Yvonne Jones LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I think all members in the House realize that northerners have been left behind for a long time in this country. We know what the costs of living of northerners are and while it has been ignored for many years, it is something we are prepared to address. We have made that commitment and we will honour it.
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, the smoke from tobacco products is a deadly substance and as a result, governments and NGOs from around the world have advocated for stricter regulation, especially for youth. Science has proven marijuana smoke has the same potential to cause harm, however, the Liberal government is blindly pushing forward with its marijuana plan at the expense of Canadians' health.
Why will the Minister of Health not embrace the science and abandon this risky plan and as a family doctor, how can she support this?
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned with the health of Canadians, both young and old, and we are concerned with the health risks associated with smoking.
As pertains to the issue of marijuana, however, we have lost the fight, and the current approach to marijuana is not working. Results this week have revealed that record amounts of marijuana are being used by our youth. Our government plans to implement legislation to address that so we can keep marijuana out of the hands of children and youth.
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Mr. Speaker, in July the Conservative government was proud to commit $1.53 billion to the largest public transit infrastructure project in the history of Calgary. The Green Line North LRT project will double the rail network and cut commute times in half for my constituents.
Today, Calgary city council will be debating the funding model in order to kick off construction by 2017. Will the government honour this Conservative commitment, support Mayor Nenshi and the city of Calgary to get Calgarians moving again?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, in 2013, the previous government announced $14 billion for infrastructure. Out of that, $1 billion was allocated for Alberta. Unfortunately, very little has been delivered so far.
We are committed to doubling our infrastructure funding to $125 billion. I will be working very closely with the mayor of Calgary and my hon. colleague to meet those commitments.
Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC
Mr. Speaker, during the election, the Liberals promised to finally end criminalizing Canadians for simple possession of marijuana. The current government could have taken immediate action, but has not. There are no details, no timeline for decriminalizing marijuana possession, no commitment to expunge the record of hundreds of thousands of Canadians convicted for simple possession, and thousands are still unfairly facing possible arrest, tying up the police and our justice system.
Why has the government not taken any action to legalize simple possession of marijuana?
Bill Blair LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, in order to protect our kids from the ravages of marijuana, to make our communities safer, and to reduce the social and health harm associated to its use, our government has committed to legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana. In order to do so, we will be establishing a federal-provincial-territorial task force to design a strict sales and distribution system with appropriate health concerns.
This will be done in partnership with our provincial and territorial partners, and with stakeholders right across the country.
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, this new government is already disappointing many Quebeckers. It is backtracking on Canada Post, labour-sponsored funds, and French, and it is challenging the end-of-life care legislation.
To add insult to injury, this week, the Minister of Canadian Heritage stayed silent on the sale of the Maison de Radio-Canada. However, cabinet will have to approve such a decision. The future of the domestic production of French content is in jeopardy.
Does the minister really intend to approve giving up the Maison de Radio-Canada?
Randy Boissonnault LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question. I would also like to thank the people of Edmonton Centre for bringing me here, to the House.
The minister has taken this situation in hand. Radio-Canada operates at arm's length from the Government of Canada, of course. When we have all of the information, we will let the member know what is going on with this very important issue.
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Mr. Speaker, we introduced the universal child care benefit because we realized the value of giving back to all Canadian kids, regardless of mom and dad's income. Lower income earners would receive more benefits and higher income earners would receive fewer benefits but all Canadian families would benefit, whereas the Liberal plan applies only to some income earners.
Why is the Liberal government supportive of only some Canadian families and not all Canadian families?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we are committed to introducing tax measures that help those Canadians who need them the most. Our introduction of the Canada child benefit, which will be considered in our next budget, will help nine out of ten Canadian families and will raise hundreds of thousands of children in poverty out of a very difficult situation.
We are proud of what we are doing for those Canadians who are most vulnerable.