Debates of Oct. 26th, 2016

Finance

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first, the government announced that Canada would be joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and now we have learned, again through the media and not here in the House, that the government is planning to set up a Canada infrastructure bank. The problem is that we have no idea where the money for either of those projects is going to come from.

The Liberal government has already saddled our children and grandchildren with an out-of-control deficit and imposed taxes on Canadian families, so where does the Minister of Finance intend to get the money for this?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, last week, I received a report from our advisory council on economic growth. This report contained important recommendations on how we can amplify the economic impact of our policies. That is very important. We must consider these recommendations in order to find a way to improve economic growth for Canadians across the country.

Public Services and Procurement

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

Mr. Speaker, I have been getting messages from students who tell me the government has not yet paid them for work they did for various departments this summer. That is outrageous.

All workers deserve to be paid for their work, whether they are permanent, temporary, or students. Not paying these young people only adds to the job insecurity already facing those in their age group. The government owes these young Canadians, who have had to pay very high tuition fees, thousands of dollars.

How many students have not yet been paid?

When does the government intend to pay them?

[Leona Alleslev, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the public service pay problems are totally unacceptable and have put many public servants in a difficult financial position. We know this situation is very frustrating.

Departmental employees are working tirelessly to meet the October 31 deadline, but we are behind schedule. Resolving these cases is our priority.

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system is causing havoc for Canadians across the country who are still not getting paid. The government will likely miss its promised October 31 deadline.

When asked, the government had an endless list of excuses for why it cannot meet its own timelines. Since they are delaying yet again, what is the minister's new deadline? What assurances can the government give workers that it will not miss this one, too?

[Leona Alleslev, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the ongoing public service pay problems are completely unacceptable, and there is no question that there are many employees who are facing financial hardship as a result.

We understand and we feel for those employees, and we know that it is a frustrating situation. We are working extensively to meet the deadline and are now a little behind. However, resolving these cases remains our top priority.

National Defence

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, earlier, the Prime Minister talked about looking into it, so let me try again. Thousands of Quebeckers watched J.E. on TVA yesterday. The program told the story of Canadian veterans who were discriminated against because they were homosexual.

The Prime Minister received a letter from former Canadian Forces member Lucie Laperle, a resident of my riding, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, on March 21, but there has been no response from the Prime Minister. Seven months have gone by.

Why has the Prime Minister not replied to this veteran?

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is an important question, and it is clearly a historical wrong. It is a societal wrong. It is a governmental wrong. It is a departmental wrong.

In fact, the government is fully engaged on a wide departmental basis to address the very issue he raises. I am rather hoping that we respond in a fulsome way.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on March 21, the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent hand delivered a written letter by Canadian veteran Lucie Laperle to the Prime Minister.

In her letter, Lucie detailed her story of facing discrimination in the military in the 1970s and 1980s because she was gay. It has been seven months and the Prime Minister has not even had the decency to acknowledge her letter or her experiences.

Why could the Prime Minister not have taken a few minutes to respond to Lucie's letter?

[John McKay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in an earlier response, this is clearly a historical wrong, and it is wrong on the part of the government prior to 1992. It is a wrong by the Department of Defence. It is a wrong by other departments.

The letters have been received. In order to be able to have a proper response to the person, we need to address this with a whole-of-government approach. The defence department takes the view that it is the policy of the Canadian Forces that any member can—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Yorkton—Melville.

Veterans Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, in the 1990s, Canadian troops were used as test subjects for the malaria drug mefloquine, produced by Apotex. This week, our committee is hearing from veterans who are suffering the horrific side effects of this drug. Shockingly, an Apotex executive is hosting a Liberal cash for access event next week, starring yet again the Minister of Finance.

Veterans are listening right now for the answer to this question. How can veterans trust Liberals to do the right thing when their party is being financed by fundraisers organized by the chairman of Apotex?

[Kent Hehr, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, at the core of my mandate is the health and wellness of veterans and their families. I know very well that much information is being presented at the standing committee this week, and I appreciate the standing committee's work in this regard as it will filter into the decisions made by our department.

I encourage all the members who have issues regarding military service to come forward to our department. We have 4,000 mental health professionals ready, willing, and able to stand by to assist them. They are not alone. We are here to help.

Status of Women

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, only 26% of members in the House are women, and we know we need to do more to get more women into politics. Can the Minister of Status of Women inform the House of the actions the government is taking to ensure more women can run for office?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for King—Vaughan for her excellent question.

Our government is committed to gender equality and to removing barriers facing women who want to enter politics. However, we still witness some of these areas in the House, like a frequent lack of respect for women and their contributions. We need to ensure that women can see themselves as having a place in politics.

Last night, I announced $1 million for Equal Voice to help address these barriers. To quote the executive director of Equal Voice, “When women feel included in our democratic institutions, they are empowered to participate in political and public life.”

Employment

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as Albertans continue to face a devastating jobs crisis, the Liberal government's plan is still missing in action.

To add insult to injury, we now have the infrastructure minister telling Albertans we will get through this crisis by “holding hands with each other”. We cannot make this stuff up. What is next? Is their carbon tax going to bring us rainbows and unicorns instead of killing more Albertan jobs?

Can the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities please explain to Albertans exactly how his warm embrace would help put food on their tables and roofs over their heads?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that families in Alberta are struggling. We work hard with the province and the municipalities to help in whichever way we can. That is why I am proud to say that, as of today, we have approved 72 projects, working in consultation with the municipalities and the province, with a total combined value of $3 billion to create jobs and prosperity for Albertans.

Canadian Heritage

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, ADISQ is in crisis over streaming, print media is asking for help transitioning to digital media, and creators are once again considering purchasing advertising spots in children's programming. In the meantime, the Minister of Canadian Heritage keeps handing blank cheques to Facebook, Google, and Netflix, who are not paying their fair share and are literally working under the table.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage stand up for the system for which she is ultimately responsible and ask her colleague the finance minister to ensure that these people pay their fair share?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his important question.

The current upheaval in the media and entertainment industry is precisely what prompted my team and me to take leadership on this issue and go beyond what is asked of us in our mandate letter.

We will consult all stakeholders in order to come up with a new method and a new program to meet the great challenge facing Canadian content in the digital age. This is an issue for every culture minister around the world and I am very pleased that we are showing such leadership.

Transportation

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Oakville North—Burlington, I have long advocated for safe cycling as founder of Cycle Oakville and working with groups like the Burlington cycling advisory committee, Halton Regional Police Service, and Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

People are concerned about being able to ride safely. Over the years, sadly, we have lost members of our cycling community while they were riding their bikes.

Can the Minister of Transport tell us what he is doing to enhance bike safety?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly can. I would like to thank my colleague from Oakville North—Burlington for her important question and for her involvement in this file.

Safety is very important to us and of course our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.

That is why I am very pleased to announce that the federal government is working with its provincial and territorial counterparts. We have created a working group to address the issue and reduce the number of accidents. We are working on this file in order to improve the situation—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order.

The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou.

Public Services and Procurement

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to new union reports, the office in Miramichi is processing files from just 46 of the 101 departments that are experiencing problems with the Phoenix pay system.

This means that the minister was not aware of these 55 other departments that also deserve to be given priority, or worst still, was attempting to conceal the situation altogether. In other words, the number of problem cases might be much higher than the 80,000 known cases.

Instead of setting impossible deadlines, will the minister finally just fix the pay system so that all public servants can pay their rent or their mortgage and put food on the table?

[Leona Alleslev, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, the problems currently affecting the public service pay system are totally unacceptable.

We know that this situation is extremely frustrating. Employees of the department are working non-stop; resolving this matter is our top priority.

International Trade

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, far from being a gift-wrapped package for the new government, in the words of Professor Gus Van Harten, CETA was in fact a ticking time bomb. People who know this file knew that the Europeans were not really happy with this deal. To defuse the ticking time bomb, the new government has a unique opportunity. Fashion this deal in the interests of Europeans and Canadians, remove the offensive investor-state provisions, and get to a deal on the real issue, which is trade.

Will the Prime Minister consider removing the investor-state provisions from CETA?