Debates of Nov. 1st, 2016

Freedom of the Press

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

Mr. Speaker, while this current issue is entirely within the jurisdiction of the Province of Québec, and this morning the premier of Québec made an important pronouncement in that regard, I am sure that all of us in the House believe profoundly in the freedom of the press. It is a value that is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A Supreme Court judgment has laid out the rules that must be clearly followed, and those high standards are reflected in a ministerial directive that guides the operations of police federally.

Police forces need to be assiduous in following the—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Outremont.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, freedom of the press is not something that a government can just claim to support, because as the minister himself has just pointed out, it is enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Yesterday, the minister said that “The utmost care must be taken by law enforcement when criminal investigations and journalism intersect”. We are not talking about police stumbling into journalists. We are talking about police surveillance of the media in Canada in the 21st century.

How can we believe that the government respects press freedom when the minister refuses to say whether or not other journalists are currently under surveillance?

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

Mr. Speaker, the point is very clear. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled on this very issue. The Supreme Court has laid out explicitly the five-part test that needs to be satisfied when these issues arise. Those same values are embodied in the ministerial directive that applies to police operations at the federal level.

It is very clear that freedom of the press is something that matters to all Canadians and this government and, I expect, every member of the House will defend that freedom vigorously.

Ethics

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, defending that freedom means doing something when we learn that a journalist here in Ottawa like Joel-Denis Bellavance is under police surveillance, and that minister did nothing in the Joel-Denis Bellavance case. That is the reality.

There was recently another cash for access fundraiser involving the Minister of Finance. It was a Liberal Party appreciation night at an elite law firm. The Prime Minister said that they have to uphold the highest standards and that this obligation is not fully discharged by simply acting within the law.

Does the finance minister honestly believe he is in compliance with what the Prime Minister put in his letter?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, the federal rules are some of the strongest in the country.

Our government spends a tremendous amount of time working hard for Canadians across the country, whether that is meeting with crowds, meeting with individuals, listening to consumers, or engaging with small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs, and the like. We are engaged so that we can deliver for Canadians, and Canadians know that.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, is the member really unaware that the Prime Minister put in the finance minister's mandate letter that he has obligations that go beyond the law, or is she now admitting that when the Prime Minister put that in the mandate letter it was a fraud on the Canadian public, because they were not—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. government House leader.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, the member very well knows that the federal rules are some of the strictest in the country and they are the same rules for all members. They are open and transparent. I am sure all members abide by those exact same rules.

There is no preferential access to this government. This government is demonstrating the most open and transparent approach compared with any previous government, not just by following the rules but by being engaged with Canadians.

Employment

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' economic plan is not working.

Last week, the parliamentary budget officer informed us that no full-time jobs were created in Canada last year. Even worse, the number of jobs created last year was down by 50% compared to the average number of jobs we created in the past five years. We were criticized for having a plan that did not work. It did work.

I imagine that the Minister of Finance is going to say the same old things while he spends even more money to get a different result.

The Liberals' plan is not working. What are they going to do?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we began by implementing our budget 2016 measures for Canada's middle class. We began with very important measures for the middle class and Canadian families, such as reducing taxes and creating the Canada child benefit. We have already changed many things for Canadian families.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to present our fall economic statement to explain to Canadians what more we are going to do in the future.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to borrow billions of dollars and create a lot of jobs. He kept his promise to borrow and spend billions of dollars, but he did not keep his promise to create jobs.

The figures speak for themselves. Statistics Canada is not out to please politicians. It delivers scientific results. I imagine that the Minister of Finance will soon tell us that he is going to spend even more money. Because of this government's bad management, the Liberals are saddling future generations, our grandchildren, with massive debt. I would be ashamed of that.

What are they going to do about this?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, I am proud of our plan. We know that it is important to grow the economy.

For 10 years, the economy has been going downhill, and Canadian families have been struggling. Now, we are going to invest for the future. These investments will create a better situation for our children and our grandchildren and a more productive economy for our country in the future. That is what we are going to do for Canadians.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, according to the PBO, Canada has seen a net loss of jobs since the Liberals took office.

Kathleen Wynne and the current Prime Minister are now working together to implement a carbon tax that will raise hydro rates and kill even more manufacturing jobs.

We know the Prime Minister does not have a plan to create jobs in Canada, but is he purposely trying to create manufacturing jobs in Ohio, New York, and Michigan?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we understand that the environment and the economy go together.

It was the Conservatives in their 2008 platform and Speech from the Throne who committed to implement a price on carbon pollution. The Conservatives subsequent “Turning the Corner” plan committed the Conservative government to:

Forcing industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions;

Setting up a carbon emissions trading market....

Establishing a market price for carbon.

It seems that rather than turning the corner, the Conservatives instead chose to hide their plan.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I encourage members to listen, including the member for Prince Albert, if he would.

The hon. member for Lethbridge.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I recently took some time to sit down with student leaders in my local riding. They are absolutely terrified of their job prospects with this failing Liberal economy. They did not expect to be written off by the finance minister who left them with a lifetime of “job churn”, as he said. This generation is actually looking to the finance minister to provide them with even a morsel of hope.

How can young workers trust the Liberals' economic update when the finance minister has already written them off?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I know that if the member spoke to students in her riding, the students would have said that they were very pleased with the investments that this government has been making in students. The student grant program has just been increased by $1.5 billion. Low-income students have now seen their grant potential rise from $2,000 to $3,000 annually.

Canadian students deserve to be invested in, and that is exactly what this government is doing.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government said that there would be a little deficit that would create lots of jobs. Instead, we got lots of deficit and no jobs. In fact, there are 6,000 fewer people working today than a year ago when the government took office, 20,000 fewer manufacturing jobs, and the deficit is spiralling out of control.

When will the finance minister learn that when one is in a hole, quit digging?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said to the House, I am looking forward to giving the House an update of our economic situation. I have already given Canadians real hope. We have changed their situation by lowering their taxes. We have improved the lives of nine out of 10 families in this country. In 2017, 40% fewer children will live in poverty in this country than in 2014.

These are enormous steps that are starting down the path of prosperity. We are going to amplify our efforts to make a huge impact in the future, with more growth for future generations of Canadians.

The Economy

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all the finance minister has done is load down Canadian taxpayers with more debt and higher taxes. In fact, the Canadian economy is like an increasingly skinny man carrying an increasingly fat government up an increasingly steep hill.

When will the finance minister and his tax-and-spend plan get off the backs of hard-working Canadians?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would just say that Canadians of all shapes and sizes are better off with this government.

I can say that what we have done is lowered taxes for Canadians. We have improved child benefits for Canadians, and we are setting about to make investments that Canadians know are going to make their lives better in the future. We are going to create jobs. We are going to improve the economy for Canadians and we are going to do it through an investment plan that will make a real difference for Canadians. That is what we intend on doing. We will all see the results in the days, months, and years to come.

Indigenous Affairs

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs has confirmed that she will vote in favour of our motion today, so that is a good thing.

At the same time, she also said in an interview yesterday that the $155 million in additional funding that we are asking for and that is needed to address the underfunding of child welfare could actually have “really bad results”.

Is the minister truly committed to implementing our motion, or is she supporting it simply to avoid embarrassment?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we welcomed the tribunal's ruling, and we are taking concrete action to follow through on its legal orders.

We have invested $635 million to address the child funding gap, and we have provided services to 900 more kids since July, thanks to $382 million in additional funding to expand the definition of Jordan's principle.