Debates of Nov. 1st, 2016

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly regret the impact this has had on some members of the community. We are working with stakeholders to ensure that everyone currently employed in Vegreville will also have the chance to work in Edmonton. However, I can say that there was a strong business case to move the operation to Edmonton. This will result in better service, and it will result in net additional jobs for the province of Alberta.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister does not get the scope of the damage: 280 jobs, 250 spousal jobs, three local businesses, one-quarter of the students in town. Listen, moving these jobs is like taking 55,000 jobs out of Edmonton. There was no consultation and no cost analysis. Schools will lose students; groups will lose volunteers and donors; small businesses will lose customers, revenue, and owners in town; farm families will be hurt.

Will the minister stop this destruction and keep these jobs in rural Alberta?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we do regret the dislocation. We are working with staff to ensure that everybody who wishes to work in Edmonton has a job. The fundamental responsibility of the immigration department is to get good value for taxpayers' money, to offer good service to customers, to improve efficiency, to reduce processing times, and to create more jobs in Alberta. That is what we are doing.

National Defence

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, until 1992, thousands of members of the Canadian Armed Forces were dishonourably discharged just because they were members of the LGBTQ community.

Last week, a first step was made in committee to have this dishonourable discharge removed from their service records, but we have heard nothing from the government since then.

Does the minister understand the consequences of a dishonourable discharge? If so, will he commit to taking immediate action to correct this injustice?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that members of the Canadian Armed Forces were treated in this manner. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation is simply unacceptable. We believe strongly that LGBTQ2 people should be treated like any other Canadian.

Our government is engaged, on a wide departmental basis, to address this very important concern.

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

Mr. Speaker, what we are asking for is action on this now.

Until 1992, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Canadians were systematically driven out of the military. More than 1,200 Canadians were dishonourably discharged because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Last week, the defence committee unanimously adopted my motion urging the minister to take action to revise these service records.

Will the minister take this first step now and begin righting the injustice done to these Canadians who served their country honourably?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I told the member opposite, discrimination in any manner is completely unacceptable. Our diversity in the Canadian Armed Forces is an operational necessity.

As I stated, our government is engaged, on a wide departmental basis, to address this very important concern.

Justice

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are now saying they have a problem with mandatory sentences for convicted criminals.

It is true that, under our Conservative government, people who have brought drugs into this country to sell to our children, people who produce child pornography, and people who molest children would all go to jail. I am proud of that.

I would like to know what problem the Liberals have with that now?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be conducting a broad review of the criminal justice system, including sentencing reforms. This broad review will include a comprehensive review of the mandatory minimum penalties in the Criminal Code, with an eye to reform. The purpose of this review is to ensure that all our laws, including mandatory minimums, are effective in meeting their objectives, promoting public security and providing value to Canadians, and to ensure that the laws that we have are in compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

[Rob Nicholson, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, it was the victims' surcharge—the law where, if people attempted to murder someone, they had to pay $200 to victims.

Now, this week, the Liberals have a problem with mandatory sentences. Where are they going to start? Are they going to start with the most serious crime? For decades, people who committed premeditated murder got a life sentence, with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Is this one of the areas that the Liberals have a problem with? We want to know.

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the comprehensive criminal justice system review that we are undertaking.

Our government supports mandatory minimum penalties for the most serious of offences. However, we are going to conduct a comprehensive review of mandatory minimums, with an eye to ensuring that we inject the necessary discretion, where appropriate, to judges. This is the reason for Bill C-28: to ensure that judges have the ability, with respect to the victims' fine surcharge, to take into account the financial hardships of the individuals who appear before them.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of Justice says that legislation to roll back mandatory sentences is coming soon, the minister has yet to say which mandatory sentences she has a problem with. Is it the mandatory jail term for selling drugs near a school or for child pornography; is it the mandatory jail term for drive-by shootings; or perhaps it is the mandatory jail term for murder? Can the minister stand in her place and explain just which of these mandatory sentences she has a problem with?

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

Mr. Speaker, I certainly would reiterate that we are taking a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including sentencing reforms that occurred across the last 10 years. As I stated, we are not against mandatory minimum penalties for the most serious of crimes. However, what we are seeking to do is comprehensively review all of the mandatory minimums in the Criminal Code with an eye to ensuring that the necessary discretion is provided to judges in terms of the individuals who are presented to them, to ensure that we are in compliance with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that we have a fair, efficient, and responsive justice system.

Canadian Heritage

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a thriving pre- and post-production movie industry. Vancouver has seen a strong increase in the number of productions in recent years, making it the number one hub for special effects globally. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell us what the government is doing to promote and support Canadian films?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Vancouver Centre for her important question.

We know that the film industry generates billions of dollars a year in economic activity, and we believe in its potential. That is why we decided to reinvest in Telefilm Canada in the last budget.

Tonight, Telefilm Canada is hosting a screening of the Canadian film Two Lovers and a Bear. This film is set in Nunavut and successfully premiered at Cannes. Many of the talented creators and actors are with us today. Therefore, I really hope that you, Mr. Speaker, and all parliamentarians will be there tonight.

Regional Economic Development

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Atlantic Canadians have every right to expect some level of representation by the Liberals. Unfortunately, not one of the 32 Atlantic Liberal MPs has stood up against these directives by an increasingly centralized top-down PMO. We learned this week that, of the 14 members of the finance minister's economic advisory council, none of them hail from Atlantic Canada. Will the President of the Treasury Board finally start advocating for Atlantic Canada and demand that the finance minister fix this mess?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear that we have a whole-of-government approach when it comes to developing economic policy in this country. We have four outstanding ministers from Atlantic Canada who not only represent Atlantic Canada but represent all Canadians. We are working to put forward economic policies that benefit not only Atlantic Canada but all of Canada and that make us the envy of the world. We will continue to do that. We will continue to grow the economy, invest in people, and create jobs.

Dairy Industry

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, now that the free trade agreement with Europe has been signed, our dairy and cheese producers are worried.

The opening of the Canadian market undermines supply management. Producers are going to lose millions of dollars because of the arrival of European products on the market. We are still waiting to find out more about the assistance the government promised producers, particularly since producers in Quebec are not getting the same benefits and subsidies as those in Europe.

How much money is the government going to put on the table to compensate producers so that they are not negatively affected by this agreement?

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said many times, our position is clear. We support our dairy producers and our supply management system. We are pleased to have been able to sign this progressive agreement that could drive additional exports of up to $1.5 billion.

We are aware of the needs of the Canadian dairy industry, and that is why, as we have said all along, the government will provide transition programs to help that industry. We are in the process of finalizing these programs, and we will ensure that they are in place before CETA takes effect.

International Development

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since I am a member of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, and since the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie will be participating in the Sommet de la Francophonie in Madagascar in just under a month, can she tell the House what Canada is doing to fight poverty and promote inclusive growth in francophone countries?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his question.

Canada already contributes to a number of projects in French-speaking Africa in the areas of education, health, reproductive health, and agriculture in the era of climate change, but young Africans, particularly adolescent girls, need more opportunities to achieve their full potential and contribute to the economic growth and stability of their countries and the world.

At the Sommet de la Francophonie in Madagascar, I will be making a series of announcements about Canada's renewed presence in French-speaking Africa.

Rail Transportation

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

Mr. Speaker, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada believes that the government is taking too long to act on rail safety in this country. That is troubling, and it also explains why, despite the minister's reassuring words, the municipal unions of Quebec and New Brunswick are holding a symposium on rail safety this Friday in Edmundston.

Considering the growing number of rail incidents and the fact that trains are still passing through downtown Lac-Mégantic three years later, does the minister think it is acceptable that the TSB has to act as a lobbyist to improve the safety and security of Canadian communities?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, of course, we are very grateful for the work of the Transportation Safety Board, which is there to remind us what we need to do for safety's sake, and it is doing an excellent job.

At the same time, we are making constant efforts to improve safety and security in Canada, especially in the area of rail safety, as I have said repeatedly. We are making improvements. I have announced three such improvements since I became transport minister, and there will be more in the months and years to come.

Natural Resources

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the softwood lumber file, the federal government put the interests of British Columbia ahead of those of Quebec. In the shipyards file, “a great day for Canada”, as the NDP called it, it was the interests of the Maritimes that came ahead of those of Quebec. In the energy east file, it was Alberta that came ahead of Quebec. In the Muskrat Falls file, it is Newfoundland and Labrador that matters more than Quebec.

Enough is enough.

Will the minister promise once and for all not to increase the loan guarantee for Newfoundland and Labrador for the Muskrat Falls project?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to provide the provinces with a source of clean and reliable energy to meet their energy needs. We are monitoring the projects and working closely with the province.

Under the existing agreement, it is the province's responsibility to cover the increases in cost. No decision has been made on this yet.