Debates of Jan. 29th, 2016

Human Rights

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs suggested yesterday that maintaining Canada's Office of Religious Freedom will not be a priority for his government. By the same token, the minister indicated that he intends to defend all human rights, including freedom of religion, as a whole. We agree with that approach. As always, however, the devil is in the details.

Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us exactly what his game plan is and the timeframe he has in mind?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is important to understand that the decision has not yet been made.

The promotion and protection of human rights, including freedom of religion, of belief, and of conscience, is an integral part of Canada's constructive leadership in the world. We are currently looking at our options on how best to build on the good work that has been accomplished in this area, and enhance our efforts to champion peaceful pluralism, respect for diversity, and human rights as a whole.

Foreign Affairs

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the UN adopted the Arms Trade Treaty in 2013. I would remind the House that this treaty is meant to regulate trade in arms across international borders, specifically to ensure that those arms are not used in any way that violates international law or human rights. However, Canada has yet to sign the treaty. In fact, Canada is the only NATO country that has not signed it.

When will the government keep its promise and sign that treaty?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we were not an original signatory to the treaty, but we are more than pleased to be acceding to the treaty in due course.

Natural Resources

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a leader among energy-rich nations, the fifth-largest oil producer in the world, producing 3.6 million barrels of oil per day.

Yet, eastern Canadian refineries import an astounding 86% of their oil due to the lack of infrastructure. Energy east is an immediate shovel-ready solution to this problem.

Why does the Minister of Natural Resources actually believe that importing foreign oil is better than using Canadian oil and creating Canadian jobs?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to attract investments, we need to sustainably develop our energy resources. Then we have to better engage Canadians, conduct deeper consultations with indigenous peoples, and base decisions on science, facts, and evidence. Without the confidence of Canadians, none of these projects will move forward.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing Liberal platitudes and empty promises about job losses in Canada. Let us not forget that 100,000 people have lost their jobs. Albertans have not experienced this kind of unemployment since the 1980s, when Prime Minister Trudeau introduced the NEP.

When will the Minister of Natural Resources and his colleagues actually come up with a plan to support our energy sector and the workers who lost their jobs?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we have committed to modernizing the NEB and to having a more transparent process.

We understand that Canadians across the country are hurting, and indeed, certain areas more than others, but when any Canadian hurts, we all do. The only way we have a long-term solution to this is to grow the economy, and we will do exactly that.

Labour

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister had a lot to say about transparency.

Yesterday, the Liberals announced plans to repeal two pieces of legislation critical to union transparency: one on secret ballot voting and the other on union boss accountability.

How can the government claim to be transparent when it took immediate action to repeal two union transparency laws?

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, the reason for the repealing of the bills is that they were originally not formulated in accordance with democratic principles of consultation and need. These were political instruments to attack the labour movement.

We are going to reset a fair and balanced platform and move from there.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, during an announcement by the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, we found out that union members were paid to appear as props alongside the Prime Minister during the election campaign and that the Liberals had to pony up $2,300.

We also know that union members were involved in at least two other events during the campaign.

In all, how much will the Liberals have to pay back for their props?

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that there was an incident in Ontario. As soon as it was recognized, we complied with the election laws and reimbursed the money in total.

Indigenous Affairs

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on a Friday afternoon right before Christmas, the government gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act by removing all compliance measures. Without consequences, the law is useless and band members are now denied access to basic information.

How does the minister explain to band members that the Liberal government's commitment to transparency is empty rhetoric?

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question, but everyone, including first nations governments, wants increased transparency and accountability. We are going to achieve this through full partnership in working with first nations leadership and organizations.

We all know that a top-down approach from Ottawa has not worked with first nations governments in this country. We intend to change it, and we will work with them in partnership to get the agreements that are open, transparent, and accountable for all Canadians and for their membership.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness falsely claimed that his government follows the law, but the fact is, the Liberal government is clearly ignoring the law when it comes to compliance measures in the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

Why are the Liberals telling band members that they have to go to court to get basic information that is available to all other levels of government?

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are establishing a strong partnership with first nations governments in this country. In the meantime, first nations governments will continue their long-standing reporting of their audited consolidated financial statements, including chiefs and councils, including salaries and expenses, and that will be disclosed to the department and to the membership of those first nations.

The Environment

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of following the law, the Conservative government's war on the environment may be over, but the impacts linger. We have learned that it is not just the NEB that has been failing to enforce environmental laws. As revealed by the head of Environment Canada's enforcement branch, poor morale and fear of reprisal have made officers reluctant or unable to enforce environmental laws. They have been forced to turn a blind eye to even serious environmental violations. Budget cuts, layoffs, and intimidation have left enforcement officers unable to do their important job to protect Canadians.

What action is the minister taking to restore the powers of her enforcement officers?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member would have heard during the election campaign that there was a significant focus on re-establishing the capabilities of the Department of the Environment and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with respect to science and with respect to enforcement. We are working on plans in that regard.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Canadians called for a better NEB process, but without defined targets and more information, the new government is going to make a longer process without making a better process.

Key stakeholders are noticing. That is why the mayor of Burnaby said he was severely disappointed with the new Liberal measures, and first nations are saying that the new measures ignore critical risks to rivers, ecosystems, and streams.

The minister said she would base her decision on science, but the broken system is not gathering it. Why is it that she is willing to move ahead with a decision without evidence?

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we have said all along that the NEB itself needs to be modernized and that we need to review the processes. We have put in interim principles to address those projects already in process, and we will work with our other ministries, such as the ministry of Environment and Climate Change and others, to make sure that we have robust protection for Canadians.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, just as question period was starting, we learned that Canada was left with a $392 million surplus in November. Do not take my word for it. The finance minister's own officials said it. In fact, from April to November, the federal surplus stands at $1 billion.

Will the Liberal finance minister just admit that Conservatives left Liberals a healthy surplus and that in fact it is just bad economic management?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we had the challenging situation of coming into office after the previous government did not steward our economy effectively. We were left with an understanding that there was a surplus, but we found out that there was a deficit. They miscalculated where we were at.

In my economic and fiscal update, we gave Canadians a clear and transparent understanding. We do not focus on one month. We look at the whole year, and it is quite clear that we are working from a position of a deficit left by the government on the opposite side.

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

Mr. Speaker, while Liberals are threatening to run a $10-billion, $20-billion, $30-billion deficit this year, the fact remains that Conservatives left Liberals a healthy surplus. It is only through runaway Liberal spending and planned job-killing increases that they are putting Canada back into deficit.

Will the finance minister take ownership and admit that Liberals have no economic plan for Canada?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government racked up $150 billion in debt for the country. We now face a deficit left by the previous government. Our plan is to actually take a new path, a path of growth. We are bringing money into the economy through tax cuts. We are bringing money into the economy through the Canada child benefit. We are going to stimulate the economy over time through our infrastructure spending in Canada.

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as a father of four, I understand how important it is for families to be able to budget their own finances, but it is awfully difficult when we do not know what is coming in. We all know that the Liberal government has decided to do away with the UCCB that helps all families in Canada. Many Canadian families will no longer get this benefit.

When will the minister come clean with Canadian families and tell them when their last cheque will arrive?