Debates of Oct. 18th, 2016

Foreign Affairs

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they are doing nothing to facilitate the sale of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, but not only did the Minister of Foreign Affairs sign the export permits himself, now we learn the Department of National Defence will be performing quality checks on the armoured vehicles before export. It is clear the government is not just supporting this arms deal but it is also giving the Saudis training and a quality guarantee.

Why is DND involved in testing these vehicles for Saudi Arabia? Is this why the Liberals are so afraid of the oversight of arms sales?

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a provision service in place with the Department of National Defence to support our Canadian companies in the defence sector.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Darshan Singh Kang, Liberal, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's beef farmers and ranchers are the best in the world. With over 68,000 beef farms, our farmers produce some of the best quality products in the world while contributing over $30 billion to the economy.

My question is for the Minister of Agriculture. What has our government done to boost the bottom line for Canada's world-class beef producers?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Calgary Skyview for his concern.

Our government knows that Canadian beef farmers and ranchers are the best in the world. We proudly secured market access for our beef producers in Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, and China, as well as securing the repeal of COOL with the United States. This success will help create jobs and grow the middle class in Alberta and across the country.

I can assure my hon. colleague that this government will support farmers in Alberta and across the country every time.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, this summer the official opposition held over 50 round tables and received over 700 submissions on the defence policy review. This morning we submitted our findings to the Minister of National Defence.

Canadians said through this process that they are concerned that the Liberals have pre-established their own defence policy. The Liberals have already blindly returned to peacekeeping, pulled out of the combat mission against ISIS, and massively cut the defence budget.

Will the government reverse course today and start listening to Canadians and implement a defence policy that reflects their priorities?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I stated from the beginning, my office is always open. I am glad that the member opposite was able to provide the opposition's submission, which I have here and look forward to reading.

As I went across Canada with the defence policy review, I heard from Canadians. One thing that we did hear was that Canadians are very proud of the work of the Canadian Armed Forces. When it comes to peace operations, something we heard consistently across the board was that Canadians support these operations. There was a poll out that showed 70% of Canadians support peace operations.

I look forward to working with the member. I hope some of this work gets done in this review. Those members could have—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please.

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

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

Mr. Speaker, from the defence policy review consultations, it became very clear that Canadians want the minister to depoliticize the entire military procurement process, yet the Liberals' campaigned specifically on excluding one company from the replacement of Canada's CF-18s.

Will the minister reverse the Prime Minister's campaign promise that disallowed the F-35 from consideration and allow Lockheed Martin to compete in a fair competition? Will the minister remove all political interference from all defence procurement projects?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will make sure the Canadian Armed Forces has the right aircraft. We are going through a very thorough process, a process that the previous government should have fixed a long time ago.

I look forward to fixing a lot of the cuts that were done previously, over $4 billion in cuts, but I do look forward to working with all members in supporting the Canadian Armed Forces and the missions abroad.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, we held more than 50 round tables and received more than 700 online submissions. We consulted Canadians.

We heard the same thing from everyone: the Canadian Forces must protect Canada and our interests. Canada must maintain a combat force. Canadians do not want the Canadian Forces to become a division of the United Nations.

Notwithstanding the Liberals' nostalgia for peace missions, can the minister confirm that he plans to maintain combat-ready armed forces?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the member and all the members of the House were able to do defence consultations. We do have a responsibility to the world. We have a commitment to work in a multilateral environment. The Canadian Armed Forces does play a critical role in terms of our foreign policies as well.

Our Canadian Armed Forces will always be at a combat-ready posture. That is something I said when I launched the consultation. That will always remain in place, while making sure that the Canadian Armed Forces has the right equipment to do its job anywhere in the world.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadians that we talked to and listened to throughout the process were clear. They are sick of seeing certain governments slash the budget of the Canadian Armed Forces just for political gain. They want the government to provide the Canadian Forces with stable and predictable long-term funding.

Are the Liberals going to take a different approach from that of the Jean Chrétien Liberals and respect Canadians' desire to provide the Canadian Forces with a stable and predictable budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, after the cuts from the previous government, we understand that we need to have predictable funding. That is something I do agree with the member on.

As we complete our defence policy review, we are looking at the various options for making sure that the Canadian Armed Forces are supported so that we have a proper increase in funding that is predictable so that the Canadian Armed Forces can plan for the next 10 to 20 years.

Status of Women

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, we are celebrating Persons Day. This day marks the moment when the legal definition of person was finally broadened to include women.

Unfortunately, still today, only 26% of the members of the House of Commons are women. For that reason, the NDP introduced a bill that will put measures in place to encourage more women to get involved in politics.

Eighty-seven years later, will this government support our bill and finally put these measures in place?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to rise on this traditional Algonquin territory on Persons Day with my hon. colleagues. I want to thank the party opposite, and specifically, the member who brought forward the private member's bill addressing gender parity. We have made a clear commitment to gender parity in this government. Our Prime Minister has been leading as a feminist around the world.

We are not interested in just having more women run. We want more women winning and we want more women succeeding once they come here. There are many ways that the House can do that, including family-friendly initiatives, as well as improving the tone and the civility in this place.

With that in mind, I look forward to working with the member opposite.

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have to do more than just call themselves feminists; they need to take action here. For example, in 1929, the legal definition of “person” was expanded to include women. One would think that after 87 years we would have reached gender equity in all aspects of public life, including right here in the House of Commons, but there is only 26% women in the House. That places Canada 64th in the world, behind countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.

If the Liberals are serious about getting more women into politics, will they support my bill on candidate gender equity, yes or no?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his commitment. It is truly due to the work of individuals who have come before us that persons like me can have an opportunity to not just participate but to create laws in this place. Our government has shown action on gender parity. We have a gender-balanced cabinet. We have been asked in all our mandate letters to focus on gender parity and address gender analysis.

While I cannot support the member's bill, I believe it is important to wait until the Special Committee on Electoral Reform proposes changes to the election system, and then we can address this conversation through a different means.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs says he is very concerned about possible Russian cyber attacks on Canada, this after U.S. accusations that the Kremlin tried to subvert the American political process. The minister says he is worried that Canada may be next.

As Russia bombs civilian hospitals in Aleppo, as the U.S. and the U.K. consider new sanctions against Russia, as Russia militarizes the Arctic, and as the minister suddenly recognizes the threat of Russian hack attacks, why does he think he can reason with the Putin regime?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, all our allies and NATO itself as an organization have two policies regarding Russia: strong deterrence and dialogue. Canada will do the same.

Canada made a mistake in the last 10 years to cut the dialogue. We need to keep the dialogue open. We did it in the past and it paid off, and it will continue to do so. It is part of the solution. Obviously, we have strong concerns about the attitude of Russia around the world. We condemn its attitudes regarding Ukraine and Syria, and we will say so directly to Russia.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations Human Rights Council is only as strong as the member nations elected to serve, but again today, notorious human rights abusers, who have corrupted and compromised the council's work and its reputation, are standing for election. The vote is secret, and vote trading for future favours has undermined the selection process.

Will the Liberals demonstrate the leadership needed to rescue this rogue UN body and share Canada's voting intentions with Canadians and with the world?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our government seeks to maximize the number of Human Rights Council member countries with strong human rights records at home and abroad. We want to increase the strength and the quality of the Human Rights Council, an institution that will benefit from the reforms that we will push for.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, some of the worst human rights abusers are bidding for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. So far, the government is refusing to say how it will vote at the next meeting of the council on October 28. A number of human rights advocacy organizations have said that some countries should not be eligible for a seat because of their serious human rights abuses.

Can the Liberal government confirm that it will not vote in favour of Russia, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, or China obtaining a seat on the UN Human Rights Council?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is helping to ensure that the UN Human Rights Council is better and more effective at fighting human rights abuses. Human rights are universal rights. Every human has the same dignity and Canada will be there to improve the council's performance in all circumstances.

Disaster Assistance

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Speaker, many communities in Nova Scotia are reeling from the devastating storm that hit Atlantic Canada last week. While some areas were impacted more and some areas impacted less, all communities are dealing together with the fallout, both short and long term. Many homes, businesses, and infrastructures sustained major damage beyond any repair. The damage has been estimated in excess of $10 million.

Could the minister update the House on the measures the government will take to help Nova Scotians?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend, I met with many Cape Bretoners along with both members of Parliament from the island, four MLAs, the premier, and ministers to see first hand the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Many in Nova Scotia and in Newfoundland and Labrador have been hit very hard, but they are resilient people. Neighbours are helping neighbours, and they are ready to rebuild.

The Government of Canada has received and replied to requests for disaster financial assistance from both provinces. Our officials are now working on identifying all of the eligible costs, and once that work is complete, we will ensure that both provinces receive all of their funding just as quickly as possible.