Debates of Oct. 21st, 2016

Indigenous Affairs

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

Madam Speaker, I think a reality check is needed here. An audit at Alexander First Nation identified $2.1 million in unexplained payments. As the former CFO said, “You take those concerns to Indian Affairs. Indian Affairs says you have to go back to the chief and council. You bring it back to chief and council it gets swept under the rug. You go to the RCMP, you've got to have proof. So they spin our people around.”

When will the minister ensure that band members have access to basic financial information that all other Canadians enjoy?

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

Madam Speaker, everyone, including first nations governments, wants to ensure there is increased transparency and accountability. But we are going to achieve this by working in partnership with first nations, not a top-down approach that is made in Ottawa.

What I will say is that we take the allegations of misuse of public funds very seriously, and when necessary, INAC conducts forensic audits to ensure that the funds are used for the intended manner. We treat the allegations of misused funds very seriously, and we will be following through to ensure that funds are invested properly.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Madam Speaker, I was surprised on Monday that the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs said that she was committed to transparency and was willing to provide “financial statements at any time”.

I was surprised by this because this is absolutely not the experience of local Alberta first nations. So far they have been ignored. On behalf of the Kainai reserve, I have asked many times for the KPMG audit, which was completed last year, only to be stonewalled.

When will the minister provide the Kainai reserve with the financial audit? What are they trying to hide?

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

Madam Speaker, I think the minister was very clear when she spoke to this issue a few days ago in the House of Commons. Financial transparency is important to us. Accountability is important to us. We know that changes have to be made in how that relationship works with first nations, but again it will not be a top-down approach from our government. It will be in working with the first nations to get the process that will work best for everyone.

In terms of the information, the minister has said it is available through her department. That remains the same, and I would ask those who are—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Order, please. The hon. member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne.

Foreign Affairs

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Speaker, the situation in Syria is disastrous. We have all seen the photos and we have all seen the reports.

Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs attended a plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly proposed by Canada. Could he tell the House about the substance of the debates?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, Canada used a special measure to bring the world together, namely a plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.

The international community was clear. There needs to be a real ceasefire and emergency humanitarian aid for a country that has been going without since July. The Assad regime and its supporters, chiefly Russia, need to hear the message loud and clear: stop the bombings and allow the humanitarian aid to go through.

Rail Transportation

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

Madam Speaker, one year after the Liberal government was elected and three years after the Lac-Mégantic tragedy, the people of Lac-Mégantic are still jolted awake every night by the sound of trains going right through their downtown core.

The Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Leader of the Opposition, all the parties of the House, the municipal unions of Quebec, everyone supports the plan for a rail bypass in Lac-Mégantic.

The Minister of Transport says he is anxiously awaiting the results of the feasibility study for this important project. The locals are even more anxious.

When will the minister take action?

[Kate Young, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, as I mentioned, our thoughts continue to be with the families of the victims of the tragic events of July 2013.

Our government is committed to improving rail safety. In budget 2016 we invested $143 million to improve rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods.

The member should know that the final results from the city-led study have not been released and we are still awaiting the technical details. Therefore, the minister would like to see the results before rendering a final decision. We are conscious that the citizens of Lac-Mégantic would like—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Kitchener Centre.

Housing

[Raj Saini, Liberal, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, this government believes that all Canadians deserve access to housing that meets their needs and that they can afford. With budget 2016, this government has shown its will to renew Canada's leadership on housing.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development tell us how we are involved in this file internationally?

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development is leading the Canadian delegation in Quito, Ecuador, for the United Nations Habitat III conference. We are there to ensure the new urban agenda is people-centric, respects diversity, and values the inclusion of unrepresented groups. Canada's new approach to housing is being applauded around the world and we are so proud to be part of the international community at UN Habitat III.

Canada is back.

Rail Transportation

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Madam Speaker, a disabled veteran contacted the Minister of Transport concerned about a rail crossing yards away from his home. Water floods the ditches, saturating the tracks during heavy rains. CN has said this is absolutely a safety concern as the tracks could shift and derail a train carrying oil through that city. The minister responded by telling the gentleman to contact his local MP. Seriously?

When did the minister put me in charge of monitoring rail safety?

[Kate Young, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of ensuring the safety of our rail transportation system. As such we invested $143 million in budget 2016 to improve rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods.

There are positive developments in the mandate to enhance rail safety and we will continue to improve rail safety.

Ethics

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has condemned these fundraisers where $1,500 buys you access to a minister.

This gives people the impression that the government is for sale to the highest bidder, especially when it comes to the Minister of Finance. It is time to restore public funding of political parties and put a cap on donations, as it is done in Quebec.

When is the government going to close the door on potential cronyism and brown envelopes?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, all members of Parliament and all parties fundraise and we will abide by the exact same rules, rules that were put in place by the previous government, rules that many members sitting on that side of the House use to fundraise for the Conservative Party, for example.

I would like to remind members opposite that on May 19, 2015, former finance minister Joe Oliver held a fundraising event at the elite private Albany Club of Toronto. This special event was advertised as being held by the hon. Joe Oliver, PC, MP, and charged $500 a head.

The point is that we are following the laws of Elections Canada.

Canadian Heritage

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Madam Speaker, in Quebec there is consensus about the separation of church and state. However, that is not the case here.

This week, the House of Commons welcomed Caliph Ahmad. To mark the occasion, some non-Muslim Liberal members wore the veil. Furthermore, there was a call to prayer right here in Centre Block.

While Quebec is debating the secularism of institutions, the House of Commons is morphing into a place of worship.

Have we not clearly established the separation of state and religion?

Once and for all, could we please affirm secularism in institutions, starting with Parliament?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, our government does defend all the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We value the diversity of the population, we respect the laws and the right of people to pray and to subscribe to a particular faith, and we represent the multiculturalism of our great nation. We respect the laws and the rights of all Canadians in the House and across the country.

The Environment

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has said time and time again that energy east needs social acceptability.

However, it is not up to the National Energy Board to determine whether a project is socially acceptable. It is up to the population, the public. The NEB should not be telling us what to do, and Canadians are saying no to energy east.

Tuesday, the City of Gatineau spoke out against the energy east pipeline. That is four of the five largest cities in Quebec that have officially said no to the project.

What will it take for this government to understand that Quebeckers want nothing to do with the energy east pipeline? The answer is no.

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Madam Speaker, every once in a while, the member rises in her place and wants to decide herself what the government should do about a project that is currently in front of the regulator. The National Energy Board will look at evidence and I am sure would be very pleased to consider what the hon. member has to say, but for the government to respond to that question and kill a project that has not yet been considered would be irresponsible.

Health

[Hunter Tootoo, Independent, Nunavut, NU]

Madam Speaker, Canada health transfers provide long-term, predictable funding for provinces and territories and are meant to ensure the universality and accessibility of health care for all Canadians. However, the per capita allocation of this funding does not account for Nunavut's unique regional and infrastructure realities, making it completely inadequate.

Will the Minister of Health commit to addressing this inadequacy and adjust this dated system to ensure that Nunavummiut have the same level of service that all other Canadians enjoy?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to speak to the territorial health ministers this week, and we discussed the unique circumstances in the territories and the challenges of delivering care. We will of course continue with the Canada health transfer to support the territories. In addition, there is territorial formula financing, to the tune of $1.5 billion that goes to Nunavut each year, that helps to facilitate the expenses in health. In addition to that, there is a territorial health investment fund in the order of $60 million.

We are very pleased to make sure that people in the territories, including Nunavut, get the care they need.

[Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Liberal, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to table a document from the Council of Canadians of Winnipeg that was created in support of the reinstatement and enhancement of the navigable waters act.

In order to protect rivers, the 99% of rivers, like the Bloodvein River in Manitoba, which have no protection—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of House to table the documents?

[Some hon. members]

No.