House of Commons Hansard #4 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was riding.
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague on her appointment as critic for agriculture.
I can assure my hon. colleague that our government is fully committed to supply management. We are engaging with the stakeholders continually. The Minister of Trade and I have continually met stakeholders and we will protect supply management.
Bill Casey Liberal Cumberland—Colchester, NS
Mr. Speaker, as you well know, the Acadian village of Beaubassin was a vibrant centre of life in the 1600s and 1700s, but was burned to the ground in 1750, just at the beginning of the expulsion of the Acadians.
Over the past 13 years, Parks Canada archeologists have discovered over 50 foundations of houses, churches, and businesses in the ruins and now have found over 7,000 artifacts from the 1600s and 1700s.
Will the government commit the required resources to preserve, restore, and present this important piece of Acadian and Canadian history in time for Canada's 150th birthday?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Cumberland—Colchester for his excellent work in promoting and uncovering the historic site at Beaubassin. His support of the Acadian community is something that means a lot to people all over Atlantic Canada.
I can confirm to him that my colleague, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, is in a position to say that the investments will continue in the Beaubassin site. Parks Canada has worked successfully with the local community to develop five seasons of visits. There are other exhibits coming, travelling exhibits across the country, and we look forward to working with him to ensure that the potential of this important site is realized.
Maxime Bernier Conservative Beauce, QC
Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the three political parties promised that they would not impose a tax on Canadian Netflix subscribers. However, the president of Quebecor Media recently asked the government to re-open this file.
Can the government confirm once and for all that no Netflix tax will be imposed on the four million Canadian families who use this service?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. I want to thank the member first and foremost for the question. I would like to thank the residents of Mississauga—Malton for electing me and allowing me this opportunity to speak in the House of Commons.
As the member knows full well, we are going to respect the competition and net neutrality, and I look forward to working with him on this issue.
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Mr. Speaker, it has barely been a month and already we see that the Liberal government has turned its back on the resource sector. Reports are predicting 185,000 job losses in 2016, most of those in Alberta. This is not even mentioned in the Speech from the Throne. In fact, the Minister of Employment has been AWOL for the past month.
Why is Canada's resource sector not a priority for the government and why have we not heard from the employment minister?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying how much of a privilege it is for me to represent the people of Winnipeg South Centre.
It is always very hurtful to review the consequence of job losses in any sector. The natural resource sector in Canada accounts for 20% of the gross national product of the country. We in the government know that we have to grow the economy sustainably while protecting the environment. That is what we intend to do.
Our hearts go out to those who are suffering because of economic dislocation. It is our commitment--
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, back in January, the leader of the Liberal Party was asked what the most pressing issue was in southwestern Ontario. The response was, transitioning away from manufacturing based employment. It could not be more clear. The Prime Minister has given up on manufacturing and the 744,000 families it supports.
Why does the Liberal Party's real change mean real people losing real jobs?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance have said, we are running on a growth agenda and we are focused very much on good quality jobs.
When it comes to manufacturing, we are going to work with FedDev and other regional development agencies to put forward an innovation agenda that would help Canadians and create good quality jobs and make sure we grow the economy.
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier for putting their trust in me.
Organizations across the country submitted proposals for infrastructure projects in their communities under the Canada 150 community infrastructure program, or 150CIP, to ensure that they are prepared to celebrate our country's 150th anniversary in 2017. For Quebec alone, over $31 million has been earmarked to revitalize our regions. The projects must be complete before December 31, 2017.
Can the minister confirm that these organizations will receive an answer before the end of 2015?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, the 150th anniversary is going to be such an important part of our celebrations. Many applications come to my department and other departments. Some applications have been approved and some are in the process of being approved. We are going to look at those and those that are tied into our agenda to grow the economy and create prosperity. We are going to look at tying that to the celebration.
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, today is the release of the Wait Time Alliance's tenth national report card. It shows that progress to reduce wait times for health care is inconsistent across the country. Palliative care, mental health, home care, and long-term spaces are under-resourced, although demand is climbing. First nations, refugees, and veterans are especially experiencing challenges accessing timely care. According to the alliance, without a system-wide approach and more resources, things will not improve.
Will the government reverse the Conservative cuts and act to addresses this critical need?
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, as a family doctor, I am clearly aware of the serious concerns Canadians have around wait times. That is exactly why as a government we are addressing the systemic transformation that needs to take place in our health care system. That is why I will be meeting with my provincial and territorial counterparts in January to negotiate a new health accord that will address not only wait times but also the many other gaps in our health care system.
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, two reports confirm that too many Canadians are still waiting for health care in Canada.
Despite dire need, the Conservatives forced massive cuts amounting to $36 billion on the provinces. The government promised to negotiate a new agreement, but nobody knows if there will be any money.
Can the minister confirm that they will cancel the Conservatives' $36-billion health care cut?
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, this is indeed an important question. It is exactly why I will be meeting with my counterparts to be able to address these concerns. It would be premature for me to discuss the details of what that health accord will look like, but we know that it is not always money that is the answer. It is in fact transformation of the system that Canadians expect from us. We will begin discussions to improve access to home care, to reduce drug costs, and to improve mental health services.
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON
Mr. Speaker, science and innovation drive economic development, which creates good jobs for hard-working Canadians, but there is no mention of science in the throne speech. Investment in science is critical to agriculture, forestry, mining, the energy sector, genomics, and nanophysics.
How can the government claim to be serious about job creation when the word “science“ does not even appear in the throne speech?
Kirsty Duncan LiberalMinister of Science
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague across the way. We have already met.
I am proud to say the war on science is now over. This government respects research and science and the important work it does. We will work with the scientific community to ensure openness now and in the future.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please. Members might be encouraged to keep their applause reasonably short to ensure ministers get a chance to answer the questions.
The hon. member for Edmonton Manning.
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals proposed changes to the tax system, they claimed the cuts would benefit the middle class. However, their proposal would give the maximum benefits to those who are making over $89,000 per year. Was it the government's intent to give the biggest tax break to people making between $100,000 and $200,000 annually?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we introduced this week the very first step in our plan to help our economy grow. We introduced a step to reduce taxes. We will be following that up with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which would help hundreds of thousands of Canadian children living in poverty to get out of poverty, and would help nine out of ten families to live better lives in Canada.
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley—Aldergrove, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberals announced with great fanfare that they would pay for their spending schemes on the backs of Canadian seniors by cutting $4,500 of tax free savings accounts. These accounts are an important tool for seniors to save their hard-earned money, and 50% of tax free savings accounts are held by seniors. Why is the Prime Minister paying for his promises on the backs of Canadian seniors?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we ran on a commitment to create a fair tax system for Canadians. Of Canadians eligible for the TFSA, 6.7% used the maximum. We have made a commitment to create fairness by reducing taxes for the middle class and introducing measures that would help other Canadians through increasing their benefit through the Canada child benefit, which would help a broad cross-section of Canadians.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Mr. Speaker, the high rate of indigenous women and girls who are missing and have been murdered in this country is an ongoing national tragedy, which all Canadians know must be addressed immediately. Can the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs update this House on the steps this government is going to take to address this ongoing crisis?