Debates of Nov. 14th, 2016

International Trade

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, NAFTA is our most important trade arrangement. It is worth thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment for Canada. We know that the new president-elect has concerns about NAFTA, but they are about Mexico not Canada. However, before he was even asked, our Prime Minister threw NAFTA back on the negotiating table and put our most important trade agreement at risk. Canada is now in a weaker position, and all that this has done is to create more uncertainty.

Why is the Prime Minister jumping the gun to open up NAFTA with the Americans?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to working very closely with the president-elect, his administration, and with the United States Congress in the years ahead, including on issues like investment, international peace, security, and trade. Our trading relationship with the United States is very important and we will have the interests of Canadians in mind all the way through.

Pensions

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, nearly four decades ago, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau introduced reforms to the Canada pension plan to ensure that women were not penalized for time taken out of the workforce to raise kids. After styling himself as a feminist, the present Prime Minister chose not to include this important gender equality provision in the new CPP enhancement bill.

Will the government commit to fixing this oversight to ensure that women are not penalized when it comes to new CPP benefits?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for making it possible for me to say how proud we are in the House to be able to participate in this important debate on an historic agreement on enhancing the CPP, which is going to take thousands of Canadians out of poverty in the short term and hundreds of thousands of seniors out of income vulnerability in the longer term.

I look forward, as we all do, to listening to the views of all members of the House.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to believe that the minister will not commit to fixing this problem.

Women's Canada pension plan benefits are 30% lower on average. This is unacceptable and will get worse if the bill is not amended. In addition to costing women hundreds of dollars a year, it will reinforce gender inequality.

Will the government work with us to enhance retirement security for all Canadian women?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, once again I thank my colleague for giving me an opportunity to tell the House just how proud we are.

I believe all members agree that we are participating in a historic process to enhance the Canada pension plan. Like all members of the House, I myself am participating in the debate, and I am pleased to see that the opposition and members across the aisle have views they want to express to further improve the Canada pension plan reform.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after the international trade minister ignored opposition to the TPP by both presidential candidates, U.S. officials have now confirmed that the deal is dead. Meanwhile, the trade minister has failed to get a deal on softwood lumber. The president-elect has also said he will renegotiate NAFTA. The minister's top priority must be to protect Canadian jobs.

With things changing so quickly, will the minster stand up for Canadians and fight to remove investor-state provisions that have cost Canada billions of dollars?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a trading nation and we are a trading government. When it comes to the TPP, the promise was to consult Canadians and that is what we are doing. Recently, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade held consultations on the TPP in the Northwest Territories and trade committee continues to hear from interested Canadians across the country.

I am proud of the work we are doing, listening to Canadians on this important issue, with our international trade minister.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us make no mistake; the American election results bring many uncertainties.

In my riding and across the country, workers and families are worried about the fact that we still do not have a softwood lumber agreement with the United States. This could mean job losses and plant closures. This government has not reached a deal and has no plan B, nor has it proposed any loan guarantees for the industry.

In these even more uncertain times, with a new American administration, can we expect this government to take concrete action before surtaxes are imposed, yes or no?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

The fact is, the softwood lumber agreement expired under the previous government. As the Prime Minister has said, we look forward to working very closely with the new American administration. That being said, in the meantime, we are working with the current American administration to negotiate a softwood lumber deal. We will also make a significant contribution to those negotiations with producers, workers, the provinces, and the territories.

We have an excellent case to make, and we will continue working hard to reach a softwood lumber deal.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Liberals have been in power for a year already and they have done absolutely nothing about the softwood lumber issue.

The softwood lumber issue is a test of this government's leadership. We are talking about tens of thousands of jobs across Canada, mostly in the regions and not in big cities. We know how much contempt this government has for the regions.

When will the government show some leadership and negotiate a softwood lumber agreement that benefits all Canadians?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. We are working very hard on several levels to finalize a softwood lumber agreement. The minister has been in touch with her counterparts. We continue to work hard and are holding consultations. Last week, I went to Gaspé to listen to the concerns of producers and workers in this sector. We are still working on getting an agreement that will be good for Canada.

Agriculture and Agrifood

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians, especially those living in rural areas, are worried about another issue, and that is the dairy industry.

With regard to the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement, dairy producers are disappointed that compensation is lower than what they expected.

The government is not paying much attention to farmers. There was not one word about milk in the throne speech and there was absolutely nothing in the budget.

I see a member nodding. That is utterly false. The Liberals have done absolutely nothing for farmers. When will they finally step up to the plate and work on behalf of Canadian farmers?

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

Mr. Speaker, if my hon. colleague was listening last Thursday, he would have heard us indicate what we were going to do for dairy farmers; we are just starting what we are going to do. We inherited a lot of problems from the previous government, in the dairy industry, and we intend to fix it.

Last Thursday, we announced about $350 million: $250 million to innovate the dairy industry itself and $100 million to make sure the dairy processors are on the cutting edge. This government is going to make sure that supply management in the dairy sector remains strong for many generations to come.

The Environment

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, president-elect Trump would love a carbon tax for Canada. Why would he not? Higher energy costs in this country would mean more factories and jobs would move to his country. We have already lost 58,000 good blue collar jobs in Canada since the current Prime Minister came to office a year ago, mostly because of high electricity prices.

Why are the Liberals making matters worse by taxing away good blue collar jobs?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has stated, Canada has no closer friend, partner, or ally than the United States, and we look forward to working closely with president-elect Trump, his administration, and the United States Congress over the coming years.

On climate, Canada has ratified the Paris agreement and is committed to its implementation. We will continue to move forward with the international community on climate change and clean growth and with the provinces and territories to develop a pan-Canadian strategy.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal carbon tax would create well-paying, blue collar, American jobs. U.S. competitors would have a huge advantage. Here at home, there are 58,000 fewer people employed in goods-producing sectors. These are miners; they are loggers; they are rig workers; they are factory workers. This new carbon tax would mean even more of them would lose their jobs to competitors south of the border.

Why is the government so determined to send Canadian jobs south?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that putting a price on carbon pollution would improve our response to economic challenges, would create good middle-class jobs here in Canada going forward, and would demonstrate the kind of leadership the entire world is looking for on climate action. We are taking real action on climate change because, as Canadians understand, a strong economy and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, we know that president-elect Trump is not going to impose a carbon tax. Canadian farmers have led the way to responsible environmental stewardship, but the Liberal Prime Minister insists he is going to force a carbon tax on them anyway. Canada's agricultural sector is in danger of being put at a massive competitive disadvantage. The last thing farmers and rural Canadians need is a tax that increases the cost of everything and makes us uncompetitive.

When will the Liberals stop their carbon taxation fixation?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, our government is committed to creating a cleaner environment and an innovative economy. Under the carbon pricing commitment made by our government, provinces can decide how to establish a carbon pricing system. We are proud to be a government that recognizes that an important driver of growth in the agricultural sector is science and research, and we will continue to support science and research.

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. is Canada's most important export location. The Liberal carbon tax is nothing but a money grabbing scheme that would shackle Canadian agriculture and the economy, while doing nothing for the environment. The U.S. president-elect knows this. That is why he is not implementing a carbon tax in the United States.

Why is the Prime Minister bringing in a carbon tax that would kill Canadian farmers' ability to remain competitive?

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

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that, with the actions of this government, the agricultural sector will remain competitive, and get more competitive. We are interested in agriculture research, clean technology, and helping farmers better address climate change, improve their efficiencies, and become more competitive. That is exactly what will happen with the investments from this government.

Dairy Industry

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to break their promises. Their program to compensate dairy producers for losses caused by CETA falls short. Not only will the program last only five years, but it covers only half of the losses that producers will incur. Furthermore, producers will have to pay to participate in the program. I totally understand their disappointment.

Why bother with all these consultations if the government neither listens to producers nor considers their needs?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague's question and I know of her concern, but the fact of the matter is that we did consult and we did listen. That is why this package is in place.

I was very pleased to announce for this government a $350-million package: $250 million will make our dairy farmers more innovative, and $100 million will make sure that our processing sector is on the cutting edge.

We are going to make sure that supply management remains strong. We said we would, and we are putting our money where our mouth is.

Infrastructure

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today, eight cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister are appealing to some of the world's wealthiest investors, but these investors did not amass trillions of dollars by giving money away for infrastructure projects. They will be looking for a big return on their investment. For Canadians, this means user fees and privatization of our public infrastructure.

Why is the government pursuing a massive sell-off of our infrastructure to foreign investors, and why did the Liberals fail to mention this during the campaign?