Debates of Dec. 7th, 2015

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, and I had the honour of attending a candlelight vigil organized by the December 6th Committee of the Moncton and District Labour Council, which was held in Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe.

As we remember the 14 women who lost their lives in the attack at École Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989, we also have to reflect on all of the women and girls who have experienced violence.

That includes the 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls in Canada. We are duty bound to remember them and, above all, to take action.

Today we remind all Canadians that everyone can do something to help end violence against women and girls.

Today, we remind Canadians that everyone can help eliminate violence against women and girls.

Together our actions will make Canada safer for all.

Violence Against Women

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the voters of Hochelaga, who have done me the honour of allowing me to represent them for a second term. I will continue to work to make their voices heard in Ottawa, and I will continue to fight for the issues that matter to us.

Today, the day after the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we have a duty to remember the events that took place on December 6, 1989, at École Polytechnique in Montreal, when 14 women lost their lives in an act of gender-based violence. As parliamentarians, we also have a duty to take the necessary action to ensure that such incidents never happen again.

To this day, too many women all across Canada are victims of physical and sexual violence, and aboriginal women disproportionately so. The Liberals must take action. Today seems like the perfect day to announce a clear timeline for setting up a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

Islamic State

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will thank the people of my riding when I share my comments on the Speech from the Throne later today. Right now, I want to talk about a troubling situation.

As we know, the so-called Islamic State poses a real threat and must be taken seriously, so much so that the President of the United States felt the need to address Americans yesterday evening. In that speech, he indicated that the unfortunate incident that occurred in San Bernardino, California, was basically an act of terrorism and he promised Americans that he would destroy ISIL.

Meanwhile, in Canada, I get the feeling that our Prime Minister does not realize how serious this situation is, and I believe that our allies are beginning to sense it. I was shocked that the President of the United States had no reason to mention Canada when he spoke about the countries in the international coalition that are increasing their anti-terrorism efforts.

Could this have something to do with the government's decision to withdraw our fighter jets from a combat role? Time will tell, but I believe that Canadians are anxiously waiting for the Liberal government to show some leadership in the fight against the Islamic State.

Violence Against Women

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to rise in the House today to recall the horror that we all felt the evening of December 6, 1989. The École polytechnique tragedy is and will always be part of the lives of the 14 families for whom the absence of a loved one is a constant reminder.

It saddens me all the more because the root causes of the massacre remain as real today as they were 26 years ago.

Violence against women is tenacious; it is borderless, and it is more often than not endemic. We have only to remember the missing and murdered indigenous women to realize that violence against us is still so often the norm.

All the statistics prove that vulnerable women are not the only victims of violence; women of all social classes, all backgrounds and all ages experience violence and intolerance just because they are women.

I want to invite everyone to take a moment to pay tribute to all of the victims—those from the École polytechnique and those who wonder, day after day, if they will wake up the next morning—and to spare a thought for Nathalie Croteau of Brossard, who died in 1989.

National Defence

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last night, President Obama stated that air strikes were a key pillar in the fight against ISIS. In the last week, we have seen the Obama administration, Germany, France, and the U.K. step up their efforts in their air strikes. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has ordered our CF-18s to stand down.

Why is the Prime Minister stepping back from the fight when our allies are stepping up?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has spoken clearly in this election. It wants Canadians and our military to continue to engage in the fight against ISIS, and we are committed to continuing to do that.

However, we have also made a clear commitment to withdraw the six CF-18 fighter jets and to engage in a continued way militarily, in humanitarian efforts, and in refugee efforts, which we are continuing to do. I have engaged with our allies on these issues and they have reassured me that we are continuing to be helpful.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, let us just be clear about what ISIS is. It is a death cult that sells children and women into sexual slavery. It targets and kills gays and lesbians, and it has murdered thousands of Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities. Yet the Prime Minister says he is going to take our CF-18s out of the fight.

Just how bad does it have to be in Iraq and Syria for him to leave our CF-18s there?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there is not a Canadian in this country who does not think that ISIS is a group of terrible terrorists who should be stopped. The question has always been how best to engage, how can Canada use its strengths and the extraordinary strengths of men and women in the Canadian Forces to support in the fight against ISIS?

Ongoing right now, there continues to be air strikes. We have committed to end those air strikes and to transform our engagement in a different way, equally militarily, to ensure that Canada continues to be a strong member of the coalition fighting against ISIS.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last night President Obama also said that his closest allies had stepped up their air strikes. Then he went on to name France, Germany, and the U.K., but no mention of Canada.

Stepping back from the fight against terrorists is not stepping up. Will the Prime Minister just admit that he is more committed to his ideology than he is to our allies in the fight against ISIS?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, just a couple of weeks ago I sat down with President Obama and discussed and confirmed that Canada would continue to be a strong supporter of the coalition against ISIL, and would continue to be engaged on a humanitarian level, on a refugee level, and indeed on a military level. Right now, we are in discussions with our allies about how best Canada can continue to participate and to help in the fight against ISIL since we are withdrawing our CF-18 aircraft.

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

Mr. Speaker, last night President Obama had some harsh words for ISIS. He said, and I quote:

The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us.

Can the Prime Minister assure us that he shares the same vision as President Obama?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, of course Canada, the Liberal Party, the Government of Canada, and I remain resolved in our desire and our conviction to continue this international fight, within the coalition, against ISIS.

However, what we will not do is continue trying to talk about it and give ISIS any free publicity, since we know that that group uses propaganda in order to grow and gain credibility.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just mentioned his meeting with Mr. Obama. It is quite interesting that just a few days after their meeting, when speaking about his trusted allies, President Obama mentioned Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

[An hon. member]

But not Canada.

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

One can use whatever nice catch phrase one likes, such as “Canada is backtracking”, regarding its support for its allies, but how is the Prime Minister going to defend Canada from ISIS?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I have always said, Canada remains committed to fully participating in the fight against ISIS. We will remain engaged in terms of our military, but we are withdrawing our fighter jets. We have been talking to Canadians about this for months now, and Canadians trust us to remain strong against ISIS in a way that is appropriate for Canada.

The Environment

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by congratulating the Prime Minister. I also want to assure him that the NDP will be an opposition that intends to help the government implement the changes promised to Canadians.

However, many Canadians are disappointed that the Prime Minister packed his suitcase for Paris with the former Conservative government's plan, targets, and deadlines for greenhouse gases.

Can the Prime Minister promise here today that in 2016 Canada's greenhouse gas emissions will decrease? Yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my hon. opponent on his election.

The reality is that we proposed a new plan in Paris. During the election campaign, we promised to provide tens of billions of dollars for new investments in green infrastructure, innovation, green energy, and clean energy. We have a plan that will help us achieve what the previous government was unable to achieve, namely reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, therefore there is no plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions next year.

Canadians are proud to see a change in tone on climate change, but they are also hoping that the change of tone will bring about a concrete change of direction.

Once it finally decides on Canada's targets, will the government make them binding by enshrining them into a climate change accountability law here at home?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that my hon. colleague seems to forget from time to time is that Canada is a federation with ten provinces that all have different approaches and different requirements. We have committed to sitting down and engaging with those provinces, listening to them and working out not just targets but a plan that is going to ensure that Canada meets its international and domestic obligations to reducing climate emissions and developing a strong economy.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thought he just said that he had a plan.

During the campaign, the Liberal leader said that he would “restore robust oversight and thorough environmental assessments”, but last week, the environment minister said that projects initiated under the Conservative system would “continue on that path”.

Could the Prime Minister reveal whether pipelines, for example, now under review, will undergo a thorough assessment that includes greenhouse gas impacts, or will they simply continue to use the woefully inadequate assessment system left by the Conservatives?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that Canadians know that we need both a strong economy and a strong environment at the same time. That is why Canadians want a system for environmental assessment that they can trust.

We will launch a public review, and we will make the changes needed to restore public confidence in the environmental assessment of natural resource projects. We will modernize the National Energy Board to ensure that its composition reflects regional views and has sufficient expertise in environmental science, community development, and indigenous traditional knowledge.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the pipeline projects will then continue under the Conservatives' system.

During the election campaign, the Prime Minister said this about Canada Post: “We are committed to restoring home mail delivery”. However, there is no mention of this in the Speech from the Throne. Furthermore, the Minister of Public Services said last week that the service will not be restored. Who is telling the truth?

Will the Prime Minister respect—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that we clearly promised to provide Canadians with the services they expect from Canada Post.

We will work with Canad a Post. We imposed a moratorium on the installation of mailboxes and we will continue to work with the minsters and partners in order to ensure that Canadians have the services they need.