Debates of Dec. 9th, 2015

Ethics

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member referred to doing things differently. That is exactly what this government is doing. We are doing things in a more open and transparent way. We are following all of the required rules with respect to fundraising. People should understand that these events are normal events where Canadians have a chance to interact with all kinds of people who share public policy views, and we are proud to be interacting with Canadians at so many events across the country.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the member for Peace River—Mackenzie have a problem?

I am glad he does not.

What is the riding? We will get it right.

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately there is more. On November 11, the Minister of Veterans Affairs sent an email bearing his title and promoting the Liberal Party. Not only was it inappropriate to use Remembrance Day for partisan purposes, but it was also clearly a violation of the Prime Minister's rules for cabinet.

Does the Prime Minister agree that it is inappropriate for his Minister of Veterans Affairs to use Remembrance Day to promote the Liberal Party?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the work done by our Minister of Veterans Affairs. He is serving Canadians in an exemplary way.

I find it a little rich that someone from across the aisle would be talking about using government resources for partisan purposes. One of the reasons why we are on this side of the aisle is that people got tired of that continued abuse of government resources.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the problem goes well beyond that and comes from the top.

The Prime Minister is promoting a lottery, the Liberal lottery. People buy a ticket in the hope of winning an opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister or members of his cabinet in private. That is completely unacceptable and unethical.

How can someone accept that situation? It is unethical. It is inappropriate.

Could the Prime Minister assure Canadians that he will reimburse the lottery money?

Can the Prime Minister reassure Canadians that he will reimburse the money obtained inappropriately?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party continues to hold open events across the country. This evening, we will hold our Christmas party, which will be attended by 2,500 people coming from all over Canada. The reality is that people do not have to pay any money to win the contest or attend the party. Therefore, there is nothing to reimburse. Inviting people to celebrate the holidays shows openness. My colleague is welcome to attend.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie for listening that time.

Transportation

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Transport Canada is investigating allegations that 57 rail cars were left parked on a mountain slope outside Revelstoke, B.C., without proper handbrakes. After what we have learned from the Lac-Mégantic disaster, it is unbelievable that another train loaded with dangerous cargo may have been left unattended and another community put at risk.

The Transportation Safety Board is reporting increased incidents of derailments, runaway trains, and violations of rail safety rules.

Will the Liberal government get serious and enforce safety rules to prevent more rail disasters?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we in this government care deeply about rail safety, especially after the tragic events at Lac-Mégantic.

I can assure the member that we are looking into this at the moment. Transport Canada officials are specifically looking at this case. We will report back when we have the final verdict.

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite the House's unanimous support for a motion that I moved during the last session, the matter of non-designated airports in Canada has still not been resolved. Let us talk about it at the Sherbrooke airport.

Given the promises his party and its members have made, can the Minister of Transport give us an update on the development of the much-touted mechanism that non-designated airports have long been waiting for and that would finally allow them to reach agreements with airlines?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

There are 89 designated airports in Canada, where security is provided by Transport Canada. The previous government implemented a mechanism whereby other non-designated airports can have access to the same security system on a cost-recovery basis. I know that the Sherbrooke airport is one of the six airports that applied.

Natural Resources

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of jobs are being lost in the energy sector because of low oil prices, because of over-regulation, and because of carbon taxes, and now there is more uncertainty from the Liberal government when it comes to pipelines.

When the Prime Minister is in one part of the country, he supports energy east. When he is in another part, he does not.

For the sake of good jobs, would the Prime Minister tell Canadians today if he supports the energy east pipeline?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps we should review the success of those on the other side of the House in getting pipelines built.

I have already been in Alberta, and I have seen the results of this very low spot in the commodity cycle. While the prices are low, we will be modernizing the National Energy Board, so when pipelines are built, they will have the confidence of Canadians.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is all over the map when it comes to the energy sector. Sadly, it is not the western Canada map. Everything the government says contradicts its claims to be committed to a science-based policy and fair processes.

In October, the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board stated, “pipelines are not going to be necessary”, because of their policies.

Which member of the government will stand up and explain to Canadians why it is opposed to resource development, the lifeblood of the economies of rural Canada and the economy of Canada?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, 20% of GNP of Canada rests in the natural resource sector. We are serious about moving those resources in a responsible way to export markets, and we will do it in a way that will have the public confidence of Canadians.

We will do it by consulting indigenous communities as well.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, oil prices continue to decline and jobs in my province in the Canadian energy sector are being lost, yet the Liberal government is abandoning the global consensus on temperature targets. Instead, it is supporting a radical environmental policy that would kill even more jobs.

Even the Alberta NDP had to pause briefly in its attack on farmers to comment that this decision is extreme and will displace emissions and chase good Canadian jobs to other parts of the world.

Why will the government not listen to Canadians in its mission to destroy our energy industry and the jobs that go with it?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, commodity prices are at a historic low. We will take advantage of this moment to look at the regulatory process.

We will ensure that our resources get to international markets sustainably. We care as much about those who are suffering from where we are in the cycle as anybody else in this chamber.

Poverty

[Mark Eyking, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it has just been revealed that my riding of Sydney—Victoria has the highest child poverty rate in Canada at 35%, and under the age of six, it is 43%.

This is not acceptable when our children are living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

My question is to the Minister of Finance. What will the government do to help these kids in Cape Breton and other kids in poverty around the country?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, poverty and inequality are not just problems for individual Canadians; all of Canada is affected.

I have seen it, like the hon. member, as I have gone door to door. That is why we have a plan to lift hundreds of thousands of Canadian children out of poverty.

The Canadian child benefit will help nine out of 10 families. Our investments in affordable housing and social infrastructure will help fight poverty in Sydney—Victoria, Toronto Centre, and across Canada.

International Development

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister recently announced that he would add $2.65 billion to the ever-increasing deficit to go toward international climate change funding in developing countries, yet there was not a single mention of this spending promise during the campaign.

Could the Minister of International Development confirm if this commitment is in addition to the $1.2 billion that our Conservative government had committed? Where will this money come from and will it come at the expense of those most vulnerable in developing countries?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

Climate change is a global challenge that affects every person and every country, particularly the poorest countries and developing countries.

Canada has committed to spend $2.65 billion over the next five years to help the countries that are most affected, most of which are developing countries.

Official development assistance must meet very specific criteria. The action plan has not been fully implemented yet. I can therefore come back to this question and provide my colleague with an answer a little later when the plan has been implemented.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Minister of Canadian Heritage on her appointment, and I want to assure her that she will have my full co-operation in protecting our heritage.

This week we learned that the board of directors of CBC/Radio-Canada, whose members were appointed by the Conservatives, is continuing to make controversial decisions about the corporation's future and is now looking to move out of the Maison de Radio-Canada and into rented facilities. This plan goes against the public's wishes, shows a lack of transparency and jeopardizes CBC/Radio-Canada's ability to produce programming.

Can the minister tell us whether she intends to green-light this plan to move out of Maison de Radio-Canada?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question.

As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I have the duty to ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada operates at arm's length from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

That said, pursuant to my mandate letter, I also have the duty to review the process by which members are appointed to the board of directors, and I assure my colleague and all of my colleagues in the House of Commons that if everyone agrees, we will bring in a new process in the coming months.

Status of Women

[Don Rusnak, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, November 25 marked the first day of 16 days of activism against gender violence. During these 16 days, we were reminded that violence continues to be a reality for far too many women and girls in Canada. As a former prosecutor, I have seen first-hand the effects of gender-based violence. Living a life free of violence is a basic human right, one that all Canadian women should expect.

Can the Minister of Status of Women tell us what steps the government is taking to be a part of the solution to ending gender violence?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, my experience has shown me that many different factors go into women's vulnerability to experiencing violence, things like home, socio-economic background, age, vulnerability due to disability.

Violence against women is not acceptable and it should never be tolerated in our society. That is why I am very pleased to announce that in the coming weeks I will be working on creating a federal anti-violence strategy with my provincial and territorial partners across the country. I am really looking forward to getting started on this very important file.