Debates of Dec. 9th, 2015

Finance

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves with an economic situation that was not what we expected when we came into power. In facing up to challenging economic times, we want to do the right thing. We are going to start by reducing taxes. This is an especially good week for those Canadians who realize that they are going to get a tax advantage with our reduction in taxes for the middle class.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that was a pretty straightforward question, and I believe the finance minister owes Canadians a straightforward answer. The Liberals came to this Parliament with just two policies to implement before Christmas: the refugee plan and their tax plan. In both cases, they completely miscalculated the cost to taxpayers. Having already dug themselves into a hole, the Liberals are now refusing to acknowledge their promise to hold the deficit to $10 billion. How high are they prepared to go?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we found ourselves in a hole, a hole not of our making. We are now setting out to help Canadians to engineer growth. We are going to make investments in our economy that will make a difference. We are going to reduce taxes for the middle class, and we are going to help those struggling to do well by introducing benefits that will help them as well, in our budget 2016.

The Environment

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised to restore a rigorous environmental assessment process that would take into account the impact of greenhouse gases. They also promised to reform the National Energy Board. They definitively rejected the Conservatives' thoroughly devitalized process.

However, on Monday, the Prime Minister refused to provide a clear indication of when the process would be reviewed or whether projects already under way would be subject to the new process.

Can the government tell us whether projects currently under way will finally have to go through a meaningful environmental assessment process?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, for those projects that are currently under review, the proponents will not be asked to go back to square one. There will be a transition period that will embody the principles that were in the campaign platform. In the Prime Minister's mandate to me and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, it will be transparent and it will involve consultation with indigenous communities.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what they said during the campaign. We know the environmental assessment process that was gutted by the Conservatives is in desperate need of a revamp, but in the meantime, we see these pipeline projects like Kinder Morgan moving forward under a weakened system. During the election, the new Liberal member for Burnaby North—Seymour told the Burnaby Now, and I quote: “Kinder Morgan will have to go through a new revised process” before it's approved.

My question is very simple: Why did they tell British Columbians something different from what they are telling them today?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to modernize the National Energy Board, and what that means is that it will be reflective of regional difference, representing the entire country. It will embody into its work respect for indigenous communities and indigenous culture. We have to restore public confidence in the regulatory process so we can move our resources to market responsibly and sustainably.

Taxation

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government says one thing and does another. For the last year, the Prime Minister said he did not need taxpayer child care. As a mother of five, I am offended, for his first act in cabinet was to give himself child care benefits that no other Canadians have. Why did the Prime Minister not keep his word, and is it because he is entitled to his entitlements?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it will not surprise people to know that we have different family requirements than the previous occupants of the Prime Minister's Office. We will maintain the existing budget at the same level and reformulate it as necessary for the needs of my young family.

The Senate

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is another example of the Prime Minister saying one thing and doing another.

As hon. members know, the Prime Minister sure does like to talk about transparency. However, he appointed the new Speaker of the Senate without consulting anyone. He appointed a Speaker who cannot even speak both official languages.

Was it more important to appoint a close friend of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons than to appoint a bilingual Speaker to the Senate?

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

Mr. Speaker, we appointed a senator of great integrity to preside over the Senate. He is the first Speaker of the Senate from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The current Speaker has served the Senate honourably and blew the whistle on the abuses in the Senate a few years ago. We are proud of his appointment.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of the week, the Prime Minister has enjoyed talking about his election platform, so let us talk about it. On page 31 it says, “The status quo is not an option: the Senate needs to change.”

The Liberals announced that a committee of five people appointed by the Prime Minister would make recommendations to him on who to appoint to the Senate in future.

Will the Liberals make real change to the Senate and put an end to the status quo?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, for the first time, we are offering the provinces and territories an open door to be part of this non-partisan, merit-based appointment process.

For the first time, we have published the criteria upon which the advisory board will be assessing the merits of these new senators, and we are confident that this process will restore the confidence of Canadians in this vital institution of our democratic process.

Ethics

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on December 2, the Minister of Finance sent out a fundraising email in his official capacity.

This is a clear violation of the guide of conduct for ministers, which states:

Ministers...should ensure that fundraising communications issued on their behalf do not suggest any connection between fundraising and official government business.

This is yet another example of the government saying one thing but doing another. How is the Prime Minister planning to hold his finance minister accountable for this ethical breach?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we intend on consulting Canadians in all of our activities over the course of our mandate.

In this particular case, we decided that this particular consultation was one that we did not want to pursue, so we cancelled it.

Pensions

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on the campaign trail, the Liberal government promised to immediately boost the guaranteed income supplement by 10% to help low income seniors struggling on fixed incomes to make ends meet.

However, since being elected, there has been no sign of a timeline, and with mounting examples of backtracking on other promises, seniors are getting worried and wondering if the government understands that immediate needs require immediate attention.

When will the government implement its promise to lift seniors out of poverty?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, today is my first opportunity to speak in this honourable House of Commons. I want to thank the people of Québec for electing me and giving me the opportunity to join this assembly in contributing to the serious work that awaits us.

I want to respond to my hon. colleague's excellent question. I thank him for asking the question, and I would say to him that we will address this matter responsibly and as soon as possible.

Steel Industry

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with U. S. Steel Canada filing for bankruptcy protection, the pensions and health benefits of 20,000 workers and pensioners are in jeopardy.

The previous government rubber-stamped the takeover, then signed a secret deal to let the company off the hook for broken promises.

During the election campaign, the new government promised it would release the details and hold the company accountable for all the promises to workers and pensioners.

When will the government live up to its rhetoric, open up the secret deal, and stand up for workers' pensions?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, the content is confidential. We cannot unilaterally disclose it. However, I would welcome and support a decision by U.S. Steel to disclose the terms of the settlement in the spirit of openness and transparency, like the example set by our Prime Minister.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members from Hamilton on this side of the House who have raised the issue with me as well.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from across the country have joined together to help Syrian refugees come to Canada and begin a new life. This is something that we can all be proud of. I know that, in my riding of York South—Weston, we look forward to welcoming these new Canadian residents.

As someone who represents a riding with many Canadians who were once refugees, I ask if the Prime Minister could please update this august House on this important national level.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for York South—Weston and congratulate him on his election to this House.

Resettling refugees demonstrates our commitment to Canadians and to the world, that Canada understands that we can and must do more. I am pleased to announce to this House that the first plane carrying Syrian refugees will be arriving in Toronto tomorrow evening at 9:15 p.m., and the second plane will arrive in Montreal on Saturday.

It will be a great—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The member for Red Deer—Lacombe.

Ethics

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just the finance minister who is using his position inappropriately. Now we know that at least four other ministers are using their positions to fundraise for the Liberal Party. Airfare, hotel rooms, and access to ministers are being offered at an event this evening in return for generous donations to the Liberal Party. Will the Prime Minister put an immediate stop to this practice of selling access to his ministers?

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

Mr. Speaker, the event the member referred to is the Liberal caucus Christmas party this evening. I know many people from across the country are looking forward to that event. We are certainly hoping that you will be able to attend, Mr. Speaker, as I understand you have with other caucus Christmas parties as well.

The important thing to note is that, in fact, to enter the particular contest the member referred to does not require a donation. We are hopeful that many people will look forward to a very good evening tonight.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government cannot just excuse this kind of improper behaviour. Now the Liberals are selling access to Christmas, so it would seem. The rules are actually very clear: ministers are not allowed to use their positions for partisan purposes. However, the environment minister has also used her position to recruit support for the Liberal Party.

The current government left Canadians with the impression that it would do things differently. Can the environment minister assure Canadians that this will never happen again? Do we need to be the government's conscience all the time?