House of Commons Hansard #108 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was seniors.
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the government did support the Keystone XL energy project, and the government will continue to support the project.
All of the approvals north of the border are in place. They will not run out. Now we await the company that will reapply to the United States. We await that decision as we are fully supportive of the project.
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, NAFTA is Canada's most important trade agreement, as it generates thousands of jobs for Canadian families. These families are already suffering because the Prime Minister has not created even one new full-time job. Now, their jobs are at risk because the Prime Minister is naive when it comes to free trade.
If he is prepared to renegotiate NAFTA, what does he hope to obtain in exchange for jobs in the forestry and pork industries?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that NAFTA is important for Canada, but it is also important for the United States. There are nine million jobs in the U.S. that are directly related to the Canadian economy.
That is why we are engaged with the new administration. We will work with Congress and make sure that we advance Canada's national interests when it comes to trade, investment, when it comes to jobs and files around forestry and softwood and beef as well.
It has been the priority of our government to advance economic interests, and we will continue to do so.
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, it is well documented that schools that are run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency within the Palestinian authority have incited terrorism against Israel.
The Conservative government rightly cut UNRWA's funding because we had no assurances about where the money was going.
While the Prime Minister claims to support Israel, his actions prove otherwise. How can he ensure that these dollars will not put Israeli citizens at further risk—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. The microphone was cut off during the member's question. I will ask her to repeat her question, and hopefully the microphone will be on the whole time.
Rona Ambrose Conservative Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB
Mr. Speaker, it is well documented that schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency within the Palestinian authority have incited terrorism against Israel. The Conservative government rightly cut UNRWA's funding, because we had no assurances about where the money was going.
While the Prime Minister claims to support Israel, his actions prove otherwise. How can he ensure these dollars will not put Israeli citizens at further risk, or is this just another down payment of Canadian tax dollars to win him a UN Security Council seat?
Marie-Claude Bibeau LiberalMinister of International Development and La Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, Palestinian refugees are among the poorest and most vulnerable, and it is my mandate to help them. This is why, after conducting meaningful oversight and negotiating an agreement that includes robust control measures, I announced today that Canada is providing $25 million in funding to UNRWA for their security and development, but also for the stability of the region.
I prefer to see these children in UN schools, in classrooms, than in the street.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canada has dropped 10 spots in the world press freedom index. There are cases across the country of journalists under government surveillance. We know that a VICE journalist is being threatened with jail time by the RCMP to force him to reveal his source. All the Liberal government has to say is that it believes in freedom of the press.
Well, enough with the talking points. Does the Liberal government agree to a full national public inquiry, yes or no?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, when these issues first emerged, we indicated very clearly that we were disturbed by the reports with respect to the Sûreté and the Montreal police force. We inquired as to whether any activity similar to that was happening at the federal level. Both the commissioner of the RCMP and the director of CSIS have assured us that the answer is no.
All of the safeguards that are in place at the federal level are being reassessed to make sure they are strong enough, and we are welcoming any input from journalists, lawyers, or others if they have suggestions to make about how the law needs to be improved.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, those journalists were on the Hill today calling for a full public inquiry.
The government has no right to spy on journalists, period. The Liberals are all talk and no action. They refused to conduct a public inquiry. They refused to repeal Bill C-51 and they refused to fix Bill C-22.
What concrete measures are the Liberals going to take to protect freedom of the press in Canada?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman is trying to make an argument where there is none. The fact of the matter is, we are examining all of the federal safeguards in place, including the ministerial directives, to make sure that they are appropriate in all the circumstances to respect freedom of the press. At the same time, we have invited journalists and others, and the legal community to make submissions if they have proposals to suggest how the law needs to be improved.
Freedom of the press is a fundamental Canadian value, it is in the charter, and this government will defend it assiduously.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, in words only but never in action, and that is the problem.
With the election of Donald Trump, forestry workers, along with many others, are extremely worried.
The Liberals have still not managed to reach a new softwood lumber agreement with the U.S., and now, all of a sudden, the Prime Minister has indicated that he is open to renegotiating NAFTA, no less.
Where is that coming from?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that the agreement expired under the previous government. This is why we are working with the current U.S. administration and engaging with it to find a solution on softwood. We also look forward to working with the new president-elect and his administration in Congress in advancing this issue.
This is a very important relationship that we take very seriously. The United States is an important ally, friend, and partner, and we will continue to engage with it in our national interest.
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Speaker, we all know Trump's priority. What we are trying to figure out is what are the Liberals willing to put on the table. We have not heard a word about that. It does not bode well for softwood lumber and it does not bode well for Canadian workers, because—this just in—Trump is not concerned with protecting Canadian interests. How can the Prime Minister put an entire trade deal on the table before he says anything to Canadians about what he is looking for?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, what we are looking for is jobs, jobs, jobs, good quality Canadian jobs, jobs that will help our forestry sector, jobs that will help—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. It is my job to remind members we are not to interrupt. We need to hear the answer to the question.
The hon. Minister of Economic Development has the floor.
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, I do not know why the members opposite have a problem with respect to good quality Canadian jobs, because that is the priority for our government. We have been very clear from day one that we will engage with the United States because it is a very important trading partner of ours. We are going to focus on jobs, good quality Canadian jobs, and growing the economy. We are willing to deal with the U.S. on tough issues around softwood and beef. We are the party and the government that found a solution for COOL as well.
Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is what we are looking for too: jobs, jobs, jobs. They have not created any full-time jobs; not one since they have been in government.
This morning, we learned that the U.S. president-elect's transition team advised him to take a more protectionist approach to entirely renegotiating the softwood lumber agreement. This is terrible news for Canada's forestry industry. So much for results.
A moment ago, the minister talked about nine million jobs in the U.S.A., not in Canada. How do we protect ours?
David Lametti LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.
We have been working hard on this file since taking office. We are negotiating with the Americans, and we are keeping several lines of communication open. We are holding consultations across the country to move these files forward. We will reach an agreement, but it has to be a good agreement.
Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, negotiating global trade agreements is very sensitive.
I cannot believe the Prime Minister of Canada revealed his intentions before discussions even got started. He basically showed his hand the minute he sat down at the poker table.
How does he expect to come out on top of negotiations or accomplish anything for our country if he rolls over for the Americans right off the bat?
David Lametti LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, our government's record on international trade is impeccable. We found a solution to the country-of-origin labelling problem, we opened the Chinese and Mexican markets for our beef, and we saved CETA at the eleventh hour. We did all that, and that is the kind of thing we will keep doing.
As for NAFTA, agreements, especially 20-year-old ones, can certainly stand for some improvement. We will negotiate in good faith with our American partners.
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, this is not just about softwood. Canadian agriculture, specifically beef and pork exports, is being targeted as well. We fought for 10 years, and we won the country-of-origin labelling battle. Now this Liberal government's offer to renegotiate NAFTA has given the U.S. the green light to reopen this contentious and costly issue.
When he made his offer to reopen NAFTA did the Prime Minister realize that our beef and pork producers were the bull's eye at the centre of the new President's NAFTA target?
Lawrence MacAulay LiberalMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, the United States is Canada's closest friend and partner, and it is a very important economic relationship.
I would like to inform my hon. colleague that it was not his government that resolved the COOL issue. It was not his government that opened the beef market to Mexico. It was not his government that opened a lot of markets. Our government is going to make sure that the agricultural sector continues to thrive in our country.
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Mr. Speaker, they clearly did not know what the President was going to focus on. If they are so brilliant, why did they offer to negotiate even before being asked? This is the kind of ongoing failure of leadership that we have seen from the Prime Minister. Maybe it is better he keeps travelling. He seems to do less damage when he is out of the country than when he is in it.
It took 10 years to prove that the U.S. country-of-origin labelling rules violated international trade law. Why would the Liberal Prime Minister offer to renegotiate a trade deal when he had no clue what the Americans wanted to discuss?