House of Commons Hansard #107 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was families.
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, I was very pleased to present my Transportation 2030 strategy. When it comes to transportation, the government is working for Canadians.
With respect to ports, the important thing is to make sure that it is good for Canada's economy. Ports are where our goods are imported and exported.
As for airports, the traveller comes first. Travellers' interests will always be top of mind as we make decisions.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, no one seems surprised to see the old Liberal culture resurfacing when it comes to political financing. That being said, it does not make this dishonest and dubious practice any more acceptable, less offensive, or more ethical.
Is this privileged access to Liberal ministers for a select few wealthy Canadians somehow advantageous to the ministers themselves, and if so, for what purpose? Is this to guarantee that they will hold on to their ministerial portfolios?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here to answer this question.
I would like to tell the House that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he attended both the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.
As I have repeated many times, federal fundraising rules are some of the strongest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, protecting the integrity of cabinet positions should go without saying.
The exception, however, seems to be during fundraising galas, where everyone has fun and $1,500 is the price for privileged access, so that the Liberal Party can raise some cash.
Can the ministers reassure this House, show some backbone, and say no to this dubious and dishonest Liberal fundraising practice by voting in favour of today's motion?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly in this House, federal fundraising rules are among the strictest in the country, and we will continue to follow the rules
It is very important to listen to what the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner said. She confirmed that the Minister of Finance followed all the rules when he took part in fundraising events in Toronto and Halifax.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee.
Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.
If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in the chamber and share with all members, as well as Canadians, that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has confirmed that all rules were followed with regard to the finance minister's attendance at the Halifax fundraiser and the Toronto fundraiser.
As I have said many times in the House, Canada's fundraising rules are some of the strongest and we will continue to follow the rules. The level of engagement with this government is unprecedented and we will continue to engage with Canadians.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?
Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.
Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Mr. Speaker, as I have said time and time again, and I encourage the member to listen to what I am saying. In Canada, we have some of the strongest and strictest fundraising rules and this government will continue to follow the rules.
Something that this government has done, unlike the previous government, is to engage with Canadians, to consult with Canadians, to listen to Canadians, and to deliver on the commitments we made during the campaign, including lowering the taxes on middle-class families.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, first it was journalists, now indigenous activists are under surveillance.
We have learned that indigenous peoples who exercised their rights as citizens at protests on issues ranging from environmental protection to the denunciation of the far too many cases of missing or murdered indigenous women have been under RCMP surveillance since 2014. We can all agree that Bill C-51 will only make matters worse.
Can the minister explain to us why the RCMP is spying on indigenous activists?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the charter. The focus of this particular investigation was in keeping with the recommendations of the Ipperwash Inquiry, which highlighted the importance of handling indigenous protests with dedicated and unique resources, strategies, and knowledge. The investigation concluded, by the way, that there were no direct threats to critical infrastructure and no organized crime nexus associated with indigenous protests.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister stood in Parliament and agreed to immediately flow the $155-million shortfall in child welfare, but Cindy Blackstock is already saying she may have to take the government to court because it is stonewalling. Meanwhile, there are communities that are struggling with serious allegations of sexual abuse. Without the resources on the ground, there is no way to protect these children. This is money that is urgently needed. This is about the credibility of the Prime Minister's word.
Is he going to flow that money or is this going to be just another in a long line of broken promises to indigenous kids in Canada?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we take the tribunal's ruling very seriously, and we took the vote in the House of Commons very seriously as well. As members know, we have committed $635 million to address the funding gap and we have committed to overhauling the child welfare system.
The issue of child abuse is very serious. It is going to be increasingly important that we talk openly about this and have first nations' leadership deal with this in a way that we can share this and deal with the 80% of addictions, 80% of incarcerations attributed to child abuse. This has to stop now.
Bernadette Jordan Liberal South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Speaker, my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets is home to a beautiful coastline, where a number of my constituents make their living because of our proximity to the ocean. My constituents also recognize that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.
Would the Minister of Transport please update the House as to the work he has done, and will continue to do, to improve marine safety in Canada?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for South Shore—St. Margarets for her advocacy, particularly with respect to abandoned and derelict vessels.
Our government is committed to improving marine safety as well as the safety of shipping on all our three coasts. It is also providing economic opportunity.
We were very proud to announce a week ago the oceans protection plan, a $1.5 billion investment over the next five years. This is good for our coasts for generations to come. We are very happy we have involved our indigenous communities, coastal nations, as well local communities on our coasts.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, rather than honour our veterans, the Minister of Defence used Remembrance Day to campaign for his Prime Minister's seat on the UN Security Council. He told the media that Canada would be committed to a three-year UN mission, but then his press secretary contradicted him, saying it was not true.
In opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Liberal Party could not support any military mission when the arguments to support it had not been presented in an open and transparent manner.
When will the Prime Minister put an end to this hypocrisy and explain to Canadians what our troops will be doing in Africa?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, we announced back in late August our government's intention to support UN peace support operations with a three-year funding commitment with police officers, military, and development, a whole of government approach.
A lot of work has been done since then, and a lot of work is being done right now. I just came back from a recent trip to Mali and Senegal. Once I have the whole of government approach and the analysis done, then I look forward to presenting all this information to Canadians and the House.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I will essentially repeat my colleague's question.
As a veteran, it was a shame to see the minister use Remembrance Day to continue his UN public relations campaign.
On the subject of Iraq, when the Prime Minister was in opposition, he said he could not support any mission as long as the arguments to support it had not been openly presented. We are still waiting for the arguments in support of the mission in Africa.
When will the Liberals finally be transparent and explain where our troops are going to be deployed, what they will be doing, and under what conditions?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I will be presenting the plan, with my colleagues, on a whole of government approach to peace support operations. However, about Remembrance Day, we can be proud of all the Blue Berets who stood on Remembrance Day and the work they have done.
I can also assure members that my former colleagues who I have personally served with are excited by the fact that they can now make a contribution. Regardless of where our troops are deployed, we can be proud of the great work they do for peace and stability around the world.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, let us use Remembrance Day to honour our veterans and not use it for political purposes.
Military commanders on the ground broke the Liberals' cone of silence because “they want the Canadian public to have a better understanding of the...mission” in Iraq. The Liberal government not only has attempted to silence our military, it continues to mislead Canadians by insisting we are in a non-combat role.
Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hunter confirmed Canadians troops had been the first ones to engage the enemy on multiple occasions. Will the Minister of Defence finally be honest, acknowledge that our troops are in combat, and apologize for misleading Canadians?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, regardless of where we send our troops in the world, regardless of operations, we are going to make sure they have a robust engagement, and we can be proud of their work.
On the information the member opposite is talking about in terms of the rules of engagement, our soldiers have a duty to protect civilians at times. Our troops are fulfilling this mission within the appropriate advise and assist mandate. Our Chief of the Defence Staff was at committee today. I have a tech brief that will be presented tomorrow. Also, we have journalists right now reporting on this in theatre. That is open and transparent in what we are providing.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is playing word games.
We know full well that there are troops on the ground. Indeed, the words “assist”, “train”, “advise” and all the other possible words they can think of in French or English are being used.
What we want is for the government to tell us whether Canadian troops are engaging in combat in any way. Canadians need to truly know whether the Canadians in combat are really on the ground.
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, our troops are in the advise and assist function, but they have robust rules of engagement to protect themselves. In many cases, they need to protect not only themselves but their coalition partners and civilians. This is imperative. They have a duty to do so. I am proud of the work they are doing in fulfilling their mission in an honourable manner.
When we conduct any operations around the world, we make sure they have the right capability, the right equipment, and robust rules of engagement to carry out their mission.
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada's food banks are telling us that in March alone close to one million people turned to food banks to feed themselves.
Their report recommends that the government establish a poverty reduction strategy before October 1, 2017, in order to help these people. We have an opportunity to take action now because my Bill C-245, which would establish such a strategy, is currently at second reading stage.
Will the government work with the NDP and support this bill?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying hello to my colleague and thanking her for her work. I have had many opportunities to work with and to talk to her in the past few weeks. I know how much she wants to reduce poverty, just as we do.
She also knows that we are currently putting together the first-ever poverty reduction strategy in Canada. Furthermore, she knows that we announced important measures, in the March 2016 budget, that will reduce poverty among children, seniors, indigenous people, and many other Canadians in need.