Debates of Dec. 11th, 2015

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It seems that I am doing everything backward here this afternoon. Now, we will go to the official opposition in questions and comments.

The hon. member for Durham.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is our final day in the House in 2015, so we will all cut you some slack. You do an exceptional job in the chair and it is appreciated by all sides.

I would like to congratulate the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge for his first speech and his passion to serve the public.

However, what I find most ironic about the government and the Minister of Finance, in particular, and this member, given his experience on Bay Street and Wall Street, is that the deficit is now running out of control. The hope is that it will be somewhere between $10 billion and $20 billion per year.

Would the member not agree with me when I say that a deficit is either one of two things: it is either future tax increases or future cuts? If the government is sincere about getting to a balanced budget by the end of its mandate, it will have to do one of those two things. It will either have to raise taxes dramatically or cut services.

I would ask the member what he favours. Does he favour higher taxes or cuts to services?

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for the hon. member for Durham to address deficits and debt when the Conservative government added $150 billion to our national debt in the last 10 years. It took a $15 billion surplus and moved it to a deficit position before the great financial recession even set in.

I will state that we are in a very low interest rate environment. My humble advice would be for the government to undertake strategic investments in infrastructure to help grow our economy.

With that, our debt-to-GDP ratio will continue to decline under this government and we will balance the budget, as we have indicated, at the end of the four-year period.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for a fantastic speech, recognizing his family back home and so forth, but one of the things I noticed is that he picked up on the important points of the automobile industry.

I am wondering if he might want to provide further comment on the importance of the automotive industry for the province of Ontario, in fact for all Canadians.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as someone who has worked in finance for 25 years and covered the auto sector for the last 15, it is close to my heart and something that we need support in this country.

We need to maintain those jobs here in Canada, and our government will do everything it can, through consultation with its partners, on the automotive OEM base, the auto suppliers, and the small parts manufacturers throughout southwestern Ontario to make sure that those jobs are maintained here and that we maintain a very strong, robust global auto industry.

We need those jobs and our government is dedicated to ensuring that those jobs remain in Canada and that we can grow the OEM base, the supplier base. That is very important and we will move forward with it.

Message from the Senate

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I have the honour to inform the House that a message has been received from the Senate informing this House that the Senate has passed the following bill: Bill C-3, an Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2016.

The House resumed consideration of the motion, and of the amendment.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Congratulations to you, Mr. Speaker. You are now our ambassador both inside and outside these walls. For that, I admire you, and I challenge you to hold our Parliament to one of the greatest parliaments in Canadian history. It will not be easy, but you have my full support. I pledge this to you. If I make the grave mistake in the pursuit of heckling across the aisle, I will ensure that it is done in the most stealthy of fashions so you will never know it was me.

I am here and ultimately humbled, at the age of 34, to have been elected both provincially and federally. Of that I can be proud. However, what I am most proud of are two very smart, thoughtful, and generous little girls, Molly and Lily Jeneroux. These are my girls and my reason for being here. I recognize this is a world where we need people to put service before self and I am proud of who they are at the ages of six and eight, but I cannot wait to meet them as they grow into what I am certain will be remarkable young women.

Speaking of remarkable young women, I am also incredibly lucky to have the most beautiful, thoughtful and most kind person in love with me, my partner in life and all things, and soon to be Dr. Elizabeth Clement.

I also want to recognize the former member of Parliament for my region, James Rajotte. He is a man of great principles and dedication to our country. I am deeply honoured and humbled to be following him in this chair. He is a man who knows how to work hard, and that is a trait I plan to carry forward to represent our nation's best constituents, those from my home in Edmonton Riverbend.

However, this is where I would like to stop talking about me. Quite frankly, there are much more important things to talk about. I would like to focus this time—my time—to speak on what the Speech from the Throne means to our future generations. I thought it might be interesting because, quite simply, I get both excited and scared for our future leaders. I am excited because I truly feel there is nothing they cannot accomplish, but also scared because we are a country that is admired by so many in this world for its freedom and prosperity. It is the decisions we do not make today that could put all that at risk.

However, we are only a generation away from losing this way of life that we have worked so hard to achieve. I want our future generations to have a better life, a successful life. Let us take the message forward together. Deep down, we all have a dream for what Canada can become in the next 20 to 50 years, but we need to take responsibility for that dream. I challenge our future generations to make their dreams for our country a reality. I challenge them to say “yes” to their dreams, not to settle for mediocrity, and to work hard. Things in this life are not easy. They are hard. Do what is hard. Trust me that it will be worth the work.

There are many distractions in this world: Facebook, Twitter, social media. However, for our future generations, they should focus on their goals and dreams. They are responsible to our country to do just that.

Our future generations are certain to face many difficult challenges in the years to come. However, I want them to remember, each and every day, to embrace the Canada they want to see. There will be thousands of people lined up around each and every corner to tell them no, but they should not listen. I want our future generations to push themselves to do better, to be better for this world, and to be better for us. It is hard to push oneself, but that is the point: do what is hard. Their integrity and their honour are what define them. They should never let anyone tell them they cannot do something. If they want something, work hard. It is honestly that simple. I want our future generations to remember these words, as what we do inside this chamber for all of them is not something anyone of us should ever forget.

I want to focus my remaining comments on my home province of Alberta.

I have grown up in a province that has taken action, a province that does a lot of the heavy lifting for the economy, but a province that is under attack both by its own NDP government and the federal Liberal government. I am fearful for our future there. If people do not believe me, the very decision to remove the responsibilities for the west and roll them into a minister from Toronto does not sit well with everyday Albertans. There are decisions like giving up on pipelines and tankers on the west coast. I ask members to please not take these decisions lightly. These decisions impact the lives and futures of many. I also ask members to please not make a political decision. The west is truly Canada's land of opportunity during economic hardships and we can be that way again.

We need a government that will join with us across the aisle and fight to ensure we have the jobs, the people, and ultimately the support to bring forward the next era of the golden west. We have been the strongest economic region in North America for the past 10 years. For the men and women who have lost their jobs in the oil patch, this Conservative team is here for them. For the farmers feeling threatened in their way of life, this Conservative team is here for them. For the working moms and dads who are now bracing for the burden of more debt, I pledge to them that this Conservative team is here for them.

I will be bold and I will make this promise on behalf of the 99 incredible Conservative MPs. We will all be here to fight with every last breath we take while we are here.

However, our time is limited here and I want to ensure we are all here considering our future leaders. I want all members of this chamber to ensure we are making the best decisions in here that will enhance their way of life. Decisions being made here already are being based more on political ideology and electioneering, more so than thinking of our daughters, sons, grandkids, and my kids.

With references to marijuana, CBC funding, and electoral reform all outnumbering jobs in the Speech from the Throne, I am concerned and downright disappointed that the Liberal government has already failed Canadians, not giving any opportunity or chance to enhance our way of life.

Finally, I would like to end with the challenge to the members on the government side to work hard as we build on what our forefathers have left before us. It will not be easy, but this job should not be easy. Future generations are watching and future generations rely on the very decisions we make.

We are all humans put together to make up the House of Commons. We will forever be bonded together. Let us not forget that. It takes courage to work together. I want our country to do better and be better because I was here. Quite simply, that is why I am here as the member of Parliament for Edmonton Riverbend.

I move:

That the motion be amended by adding, after the words “tax burden for Canadians”, the words “and back away from its undemocratic plan to scrap Canada's current voting system without consulting Canadians in a referendum first, as most democratic minded governments, such as the Governments of British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have done”.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The amendment is in order.

A message was delivered by the Usher of the Black Rod as follows:

Mr. Speaker, it is the pleasure of His Excellency the Governor General that this honourable House attend him immediately in the chamber of the Senate.

Accordingly the Speaker with the House went up to the Senate chamber.

And being returned:

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I have the honour to inform the House that when the House did attend His Excellency the Governor General in the Senate Chamber, His Excellency was pleased to give in Her Majesty's name the royal assent to Bill C-3, An Act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the financial year ending March 31, 2016—Chapter 42.

The House resumed consideration of the motion, of the amendment and of the amendment to the amendment.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I was particularly enthused by the fact that the member spoke about the future. The Liberal government is concerned about the future of young people and young families like mine. That is why we are investing in our future. That is why we are investing in our youth. We are going to create thousands of new jobs for young people and fix infrastructure that frankly has been falling apart for ten years.

Does the member not think that it is important to invest in our future and in the future of our young people?

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our future is bright, particularly if we make the decisions that were quite present with our previous Conservative government. We made decisions about the UCCB. Our government made decisions on TFSAs and income splitting. I hope that these decisions will be reconsidered by members on the other side because they are things that could help young families and future generations.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Edmonton Riverbend on his election and a great speech. I appreciate that he elaborated on important things like the future of our children and taking care of our grandparents and the mothers in our country. We have a lot in common; we both want to grow the economy while protecting the environment.

The member talked about oil and pipelines, and about making sure that we get our resources to market. I want to hear from the member about bringing oil to market and making sure that British Columbians are heard on that issue, because it is the mothers and the grandmothers and the daughters of British Columbians who are concerned about pipelines. We had a small bunker spill in English Bay recently, and it was not adequately taken care of. We had a spill on my beach in Tofino, in 1988, which damaged the ecosystem that we rely on for our food security, for our recreation and for our cultural needs.

I would like the member to tell me how we could work together to protect coastal British Columbia and look forward to a new economy which he talked about.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have friends in Tofino. I am sad to announce that they did not vote for the member, but he seems like a decent guy.

We need to build the pipelines to get our oil to market because that is what drives our economy. That is what drives the Alberta economy. There are a lot of trains out there as well. We would like to ensure that pipelines are built, because if oil is spilled from trains, it is something we should consider in terms of the environment.

What is particularly disappointing from the Liberal government is that when the announcement was made that Keystone would not go ahead, we had barely a word from the Prime Minister, a Prime Minister who quite frankly loves to say a word or two here and there. However, he was not anywhere to be seen. Now he is quite excited, as we all saw yesterday, to go to his fancy dinner with President Obama.

At the end of the day, we need to make sure that we are fighting for Alberta and for Canada. It is important to fight for Alberta because its oil drives our economy.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague and good friend and neighbour in Edmonton for his election to the House. It is well deserved. I have seen first-hand the relationship that he has with his girls, and it is something special to behold.

Thinking about his girls and Canadians of that generation, maybe the member could talk about the importance of balanced budgets in Canada in terms of securing their future.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the hard-hitting question, as usual.

It is important to hear that, of course, we balance budgets, and of course, we are looking at the opposition over here who once ran one of the largest deficits in the history of our country. They are not thinking about future generations when they do that. This is one of things we heard at the door time and time again in Alberta.

We are experiencing it on the provincial side and we are now going to experience it on the federal side. I would ask, beg, and plead with hon. members on the other side to please consider not running a deficit for our kids, their kids, our grandkids, and for future generations. It is important for them and it is important for all of us in this chamber.

[Gagan Sikand, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as this is the first time that I am rising in this honourable House, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the residents of Mississauga—Streetsville for electing me to be their voice here in Ottawa. I would also like to thank my family, past and present, for their unwavering support.

Over the last two years, I was able to speak with thousands of residents. More importantly, I had the opportunity to listen to their concerns, concerns that were addressed in the Speech from the Throne.

The riding of Mississauga—Streetsville is home to various areas: Lisgar, Levi Creek, Meadowvale, and the quaint areas of Streetsville, and old Meadowvale Village. It is with great pride that I stand here and say that I grew up in Streetsville and I am now the member of Parliament.

However, this middle-class riding has faced a number of challenges in the past. I have spoken with single parents who find it difficult to provide for their children. Having volunteered at both the Eden and Seva food banks, I have seen families struggling day to day to make ends meet.

In a country as wealthy as Canada, every child deserves to have access to the essentials of life. This is why it gives me great pride to have heard in the Speech from the Throne that our commitment to the Canada child benefit will raise 315,000 children out of poverty.

We are also committed to creating more opportunities for young Canadians. One of the biggest concerns that parents have in the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville is that their children will not have the same opportunities that they did. It is imperative that future generations are educated in order to ensure the continued prosperity of our great nation.

In addition to hearing the concerns of our residents, I have also consulted with the mayor of Mississauga, city councillors, and our provincial counterparts. In order for the riding to thrive, the municipality requires dedicated and predictable funding for infrastructure with an emphasis on transit investments. Those living in my riding who work in downtown Toronto can barely make it back for dinner.

On July 6, 2013, we all watched in horror the tragic events of Lac-Mégantic's derailment. Residents of Mississauga—Streetsville were shocked to hear that that very train passed through our backyards and our shopping centres. This particular issue was once again brought to the forefront as a similar train caught fire during the campaign. That train was situated between shopping centres, a day care, and the backyards of some residents.

Another concern in regards to infrastructure is that of affordable housing. Social and affordable housing currently has a seven-to-ten year wait time in Mississauga. Our riding also has multiple co-op housing units. My colleagues and I visited one of these co-ops and were surprised to learn that they only required a mere $50,000 in government assistance to keep a lot of those people from being kicked out onto the street. This is why our infrastructure investment of $125 billion is not just an investment in infrastructure, but an investment in Canadian families. Ultimately, we need a federal government that respects municipalities.

During this previous election, I was contacted by various groups and individuals of all parties to discuss electoral reform. Residents often felt their vote could potentially be wasted. When our party announced that 2015 would be the last election under the first past the post voting system, it was an announcement that our government is going to be one that listens to the concerns of citizens, has progressive views, and is truly about real change.

Some of my fondest memories of growing up in the riding involve our parks and trails. Our riding has a multitude of green spaces, conservation lands, bike paths, ponds, and a lake, and of course, the Credit River. I often take my cousins along with me to tree planting events so that not only can they enjoy these spaces, but understand how we need to preserve them.

This government has committed to preserving the environment and will take on climate change. As mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, we will make decisions that are informed by scientific evidence.

Our government will introduce new environmental assessment processes. However, most importantly, our government understands that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.

The government's agenda also reflects that Canada's strength is its diversity. There is no greater testament to this than me standing here today.

Canada truly is the land of opportunity. My dad moved here from India to give his family a better life. From odd jobs, to driving a taxi, saving, and eventually growing his own small business, Canada rewarded him for all his hard work and ambition. My younger brother is an emergency room doctor and saves lives every day. I am a lawyer and small business owner, and have the honour of being a member of Parliament. Only in Canada is that possible.

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to attend law school in London, England. One of the benefits of studying abroad is easy travelling to neighbouring countries. Back then, when people found out I was a Canadian they greeted me with warmth and mentioned how Canada is so well known for being a peacekeeping nation. However, that sentiment has been lost for many years now. Our government will contribute to greater peace throughout the world and renew our commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations. Inevitably, this will restore our reputation on the world stage as those who stand up against intolerance and keep the peace.

Here at home, many of my constituents have told me they moved from their country of origin because Canada is safe. Naturally, this is ideal to grow a family. Recognizing this, the government will continue to work to keep all Canadians safe.

I would like to again thank all my constituents for electing me their member for Mississauga—Streetsville. The riding actually mirrors that of Canada. It is full of history, commerce, is ethnically diverse, and home to small villages within a large city. I could not be prouder to call it home. I know that our mandate will serve the people of the riding well.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question about taxes mentioned in the throne speech. The middle-income tax cut excludes about 70% of Canadians, while eliminating the expanded TFSA. We wait for the other shoe to drop, which means higher taxes to pay for the spending it is committing to and the new schemes that we have yet to see in the House, which will mean less savings for Canadians.

We know that nearly 11 million Canadians took advantage of the TFSA, 60% of whom were holders earning less than $60,000 a year. More than half of them were seniors. When people are empowered financially they save for the future. We know this from experience. What we do not need is a cradle-to-grave, two-nanny state system. We all heard about this in the House.

There was a BMO survey report released in September that found that 56% of respondents had less than $10,000 available in emergency funds. I think the TFSA is an amazing program. Keeping it at $10,000 ensures that Canadians can save for themselves. Therefore, why will his government not reverse its decision and restore the TFSA, the best new savings vehicle in a generation?

[Gagan Sikand, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the campaign I actually heard the contrary. There were not many people I spoke to who had $10,000 lying around at the end of the day to invest in a TFSA. They were putting food on the table, paying bills, like utility bills. Mississauga—Streetsville, within the GTA, is an expensive place to live.

Our government understands the needs of Canadians and sees they do not have $10,000 lying around at the end of the day. That is why we have introduced a robust mandate that will actually help them in growing their families.

[Wayne Stetski, NDP, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his excellent speech. I have to agree with much of what he said.

As the former mayor of Cranbrook in British Columbia, I would like to talk a little about infrastructure. In 2014, the Conservative government announced its build Canada program. There was not one dollar that came out of that program to our communities in 2014 or 2015. Part of the challenge for municipalities was the formula asked that the municipalities come up with the first one-third of any of these projects.

Would the member support the new government having a formula that is a little more favourable to municipalities in the future?

[Gagan Sikand, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Streetsville is home to our former mayor, Hazel McCallion, who is in the Guinness Book of World Records, for being a long-standing mayor. She has openly stated that she has never received the co-operation she needed from the federal government, and our current mayor has those same sentiments.

I will support an open dialogue with municipalities to get a lot of the infrastructure funding to them, so that they can use it as they see fit.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member on the opposite side has done a great job.

I have a quick question. We have talked in the House about the tax benefits our government will be offering with respect to children and the middle class. However, in terms of the infrastructure contributions we are going to make to the different municipalities, as a mayor for the past 14 years, I do also recognize some of the impacts that will have on the property taxpayers as well as the wastewater ratepayers. How will our government move forward with the infrastructure contributions to municipalities and add more savings to the taxpayers, specifically the property taxpayers and the water and sewer ratepayers?

[Gagan Sikand, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one benefit we see is with respect to our location relative to Toronto. If we invest heavily in public infrastructure and public transit, that will naturally increase the property values for areas like Mississauga—Streetsville, because now you will have more accessibility to the downtown core of Toronto.