Debates of Oct. 17th, 2016

Justice

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the government does not fulfill its responsibility to fill vital appointments, it has a tangible and direct effect on Canadians.

Earlier this month a first-degree murder charge was thrown out in Edmonton due to unreasonable delays. The national judicial vacancy rate has more than tripled since the government took office. Judicial vacancies cause the entire justice system to slow down.

When will the Liberal government take the appointments process seriously and fill these vacancies?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and certainly am very mindful of the realities across this country with respect to judicial vacancies.

Our government is committed to a fair, relevant, and accessible justice system. I am further committed to working with the provinces and the territories in a collaborative way to ensure that the many factors that lead to judicial delays are addressed, including the appointment of judges. I very much look forward to announcing, in the near future, the appointments of more judges to our superior courts.

Softwood Lumber

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister likes to brag about his great relationship with President Obama. However, a relationship is more than gala dinners and photo ops at the White House. It is about getting things done for Canadians.

Prime Minister Harper was able to negotiate agreements on softwood lumber not once but twice, with two different presidents. If the Liberals' relationship with Washington is so great, why will the Prime Minister not pick up the phone, call the president, and get a deal done?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member opposite in the House that the previous agreement expired under the previous government's watch.

We will continue negotiations as we work to meet the mandate agreed to by President Barack Obama and our Prime Minister in June. We will continue to work closely with lumber producers, workers, the provinces, and territories. Any agreement must reflect the realities of our softwood lumber sector, including differences in communities across Canada. We are seeking a good deal for Canada, not just any deal.

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

Mr. Speaker, I read somewhere recently that the Minister of Trade speaks five languages. Apparently trade is not one of them.

From forest to mill, almost 400,000 high-quality, well-paying forestry jobs are now at risk because of the minister's inaction on the softwood lumber file. In one of my communities alone, two mills are at risk. That is 400 jobs and a quarter of the municipal tax base.

How does the Minister of Trade expect people to continue to work and live in the communities they call home when there are no jobs to put food on the table for their families?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House, again, that the softwood lumber agreement expired under the previous government's watch.

I also want to say that our government has delivered for Canadians on trade time after time. In December, we eliminated discriminatory COOL legislation in the U.S. Then we secured expanded access to Mexico and China for beef, and—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please.

I want to hear the answer to the question. The hon. Minister of International Trade has just a few seconds left, unless she is done.

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

And we got the deal done for canola, Mr. Speaker.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we know well that the softwood lumber file has never been a priority for the Liberal government. It was not in its budget, it was not in the throne speech, and it is not in the minister's mandate letter. We have never had a government whose deadlines have been disregarded, even the 100-day self-imposed one last spring.

They have removed the stability and predictability that is vital to our forest industry jobs and the communities those people live in. Would the minister at least get on the phone and secure a standstill of American litigation while negotiations are ongoing?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government did nothing to secure a softwood lumber agreement, and the agreement expired under its watch.

I was shocked to learn that they did not even begin to negotiate. The member for Lac-Saint-Jean himself confirmed that this morning in a press conference. He said that Conservatives had started discussions, not negotiations.

We are not just chatting with the Americans. We are negotiating intensively. We are looking for a good deal, not just any deal.

[Gerry Ritz, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Pulp Fiction was a cult film that became the title of Liberal softwood policy.

They continue to blame everyone but themselves for their failure in getting a new softwood lumber deal across the finish line. Now, almost 400,000 workers and whole communities in the forestry sector are hostage to an impending Liberal trade war with the U.S.

When will the trade minister stop treating these jobs as an afterthought and solve this dispute before livelihoods become Liberal collateral damage?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we are working extremely hard on getting a great deal for Canada. I want to quote some other people who see how hard we are working. I will start with the member for Cariboo—Prince George. He told the committee this summer, “I can appreciate that there's been a considerable amount of work to this point done by both Global Affairs and the minister”.

Christy Clark said something very similar, and I quote: “I’ve got to give her credit, she’s worked day and night to try and resolve this... It’s been her central focus for the last several months.”

I am still working hard.

Aerospace Industry

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 2007, after NDP pressure, the previous Conservative government blocked the foreign takeover of Canadian satellite maker MDA. The sale was rejected to stop U.S. control of sensitive technology and information, but now the company has shifted to the U.S. control, under the Liberals' noses, without their making a difference right now.

Just last week, the minister was actually musing about further weakening Canada's foreign takeover laws. Will the minister investigate to ensure that Canadian laws are being enforced, and will the Liberals close loopholes that threaten Canadian companies and investment by Canadians?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, our government, first and foremost, is very committed to the space sector. The member talked about MDA. This is an organization that I visited, and we have made investments with respect to that organization as well.

With respect to MDA and its corporate structure, as the member opposite knows, corporate reorganizations are not subject to the net benefit provisions under the Investment Canada Act. Investment is subject to net benefit review only when a non-Canadian acquires control of a Canadian business in a manner that is set out in the act.

We are monitoring the situation closely, and I can say for the member opposite that we take foreign investments very seriously.

The Environment

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, an American tugboat and tanker barge ran aground on B.C.'s north coast. The accident caused 200,000 litres of diesel to spill into a sensitive area. If this had been a fully loaded supertanker, it would have caused massive devastation to our fisheries, first nations communities, and our marine environment.

When will the Liberals make good on their promise to protect our coasts and implement a permanent ban on crude oil tankers off B.C.'s north coast?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, improving marine safety is a very high priority for this government. That is why I am working with my colleague from Fisheries and Oceans to improve marine safety for this country, as well as working on a moratorium. We will have things to say shortly.

In the meantime, I should let the member know that the Pacific Pilotage Authority has revoked the exemption for piloting for the company in question, the TSB is on location, I have appointed a ministerial observer, and we at Transport Canada will be conducting a compliance inspection.

Multiculturalism

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it was an honour for me recently to join the Prime Minister, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the NDP, and many of our colleagues, at the site dedication ceremony for the national Holocaust monument in Ottawa.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage update us on the progress of this project and indicate how important building such a monument is to the government?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Mount Royal for his important question.

I am proud of our government's commitment to the National Holocaust Monument.

It will serve as a vital and sobering reminder to all Canadians of the tragedy of the Holocaust. It will honour those six million Jews and millions of others, including Roma, homosexuals, and disabled people, who lost their lives. We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust, and we must continue to fight the hatred and disregard of humankind.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is about to vote at the UN for members of the sardonically named Human Rights Council. Four notorious human rights abusers are among the candidates, again: China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba.

The vote is secret, but we know favours are traded in the UN process, and we recognize the Liberals' indecent appetite for Security Council votes. Will the Liberals tell Canadians and the world how Canada will vote on these four human rights abusers?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada would like to tell the world that we absolutely intend to lead the resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran at the UN General Assembly's 71st session. We believe that engagement allows us to more effectively hold Iran to account, and I know that is one of Canadians' concerns.

Engagement is a harder path than the previous Conservative government ever chose to take. Isolation is not the way to go. We believe that we are advancing Canadian interests and the interests of our allies by engaging with them more.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have learned that the mayor of Montreal travelled to Iran to meet with the mayor of Tehran, a key player in that country's terrorist-sponsoring and human-rights abusing regime. Denis Coderre signed a co-operation agreement with Mohammad Qalibaf, a senior figure in Iran's revolutionary guard, which directs the brutal theocracy's horrific domestic and foreign agenda.

Was the minister aware of his former Liberal colleague's ill-advised misadventure? Or, is this part of the Liberal government's misguided quest to normalize relations?

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

First of all, Mr. Speaker, Mayor Coderre is the best person to answer as to his own travel.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and our government, we are committed to a step-by-step re-engagement with Iran. We believe that an absence of diplomatic representation hurts our interests. A presence advances our interests, particularly with regard to consular matters. We know that engagement is a tougher path, but it is a necessary one to deal effectively with Middle East security issues and to hold Iran to account on human rights.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Engagement is appeasement, Mr. Speaker.

Last week, the foreign affairs minister put his hypocrisy on display to the entire world. He took to Twitter to call on the international community to uphold its responsibility to protect civilians from the mass atrocities of ISIS. Canada was a leader in doing precisely that. Our CF-18s took out nearly 400 fighting positions in Iraq and Syria.

If the minister truly believes in the responsibility to protect civilians, why did he pull out our CF-18s? Does he naively believe that his tweets are more effective than Canada's fighter jets?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am actually very proud of the work that our Canadian Armed Forces have done overseas. As we know, the Iraqi security forces have launched their operation on Mosul. As the Prime Minister announced back in February, Canada continues to support the coalition partners. We have expanded our training advise-and-assist mission, we expanded our intelligence, and we established a role 2 hospital. These are among just a few.

This is why we have actually taken so many cities. We have helped the Iraqi security forces take these steps. If we had not done this, the coalition would not have been as effective.