Debates of Nov. 18th, 2016

Bullying

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, bullying and cyberbullying are serious issues for many Canadian families and communities. According to a recent study, more then 40% of youth reported being a victim of cyberbullying, and more then 60% have witnessed cyberbullying.

In this Bullying Awareness Week, I encourage Canadians to get more informed on this issue, as well as the devastating consequences it may have on its victims, and the resources available to help Canadians combat it.

I especially encourage parents and teachers to visit the website www.getcybersafe.gc.ca to get informed on how to recognize and prevent cyberbullying. I also invite everyone to discover BullyText, an interactive tool offered by the RCMP that aims to encourage conversation amongst youth about these questions.

On a brighter note, more then 70% of Canadian youth who have witnessed cyberbullying said they intervened. Let us follow their example at school, at work, at home, and in all spheres of life, and let us put an end to bullying.

International Trade

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after the Liberals waved the white flag of surrender on NAFTA that they are now trying their very best to backpedal on, the parliamentary secretary to the trade minister said, “Don't worry. There will only be small tweaks”. If the Liberals' small tweaks are anything like their small deficits, we are all in big trouble.

Canada needs NAFTA. Why are the Liberals so eager to sell out Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only flag we are waving is the red and white Canadian flag. We are going to defend Canadians' interests across the board on every matter of trade and investment in order to help Canada, in order to help Canadian jobs.

NAFTA is an important, positive piece of that picture. We know that. We know the numbers. We will work to show our American partners that these numbers are valid for them as well, that the agreement is positive for them as well.

It is a 20-year-old agreement. It is normal to make changes to an agreement over time, especially to tweak it.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals were going to do what was in the best interests of Canadians, they would not have so foolishly and naively opened the doors to renegotiating NAFTA, but now that they have, and given what the parliamentary secretary just said, will the government tell Canadians exactly what is on the table? Will it be farmers who will be sold out? Will it be the auto sector that is going to be rejected? What is on the table? What are the Liberals going to sell out?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will not take lessons from anybody as it regards trade. Our record on trade is impeccable. Yet again, the Prime Minister and the Minister of International Trade are out bringing home the bacon and making sure we can ship bacon and other pork products to other countries in the world, as we are working on with Argentina, as was announced.

We brought home COOL. We got CETA across the finish line. We opened up China to canola markets. We opened up China and Mexico to beef markets. Our record on trade within 12 months is far superior to anything the previous government produced.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, here is a lesson for that member. Every one of those agreements was what the previous Conservative government started and finished, and the Liberals could barely get that done when we handed it to them on a silver platter.

TPP is another agreement that sectors are very concerned about. Are the Liberals going to take the same approach to TPP they have taken to NAFTA and say, “Maybe we'll renegotiate. Maybe we'll do something, or maybe we won't”? Or will the Prime Minister at APEC be persistent, consistent, and advocate for TPP for Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, our position on NAFTA has been clear from the outset.

That treaty was negotiated in secret by the previous government. We committed during the election to consult Canadians. We are consulting Canadians. I have been to all 10 provinces and am now working in the territories, listening to Canadians. The trade committee is doing the same thing.

When we are in a position to understand whether that treaty is a good treaty for Canada, we will make a determination at that point.

Finance

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

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary budget officer is a friend to all Canadians because, unlike the government, he tells Canadians the truth.

In his report released yesterday, the parliamentary budget officer said on page 3 that we “may wish to confirm that the additional spending proposed in these supplementary estimates has corresponding performance targets.”

That is rather polite language, but in more political terms it means that Canadians want the truth.

When will the government regain control of public spending?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today. The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent has been providing figures all week. Allow me to set the record straight for Canadians.

Over the past 12 months, the government has created 139,600 jobs in Canada thanks to its investment in Canadian families and the middle class, for our young people and for our seniors.

Even though the Conservative Party voted against every measure we have taken to help Canadian families and young people across the country, we continued and will continue to implement this plan. It is precisely the figure—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, we will have an opportunity to come back to this matter.

With regard to free trade between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, the Prime Minister acted like a real amateur, to say the least. All international observers agree. Mexico has always been in the crosshairs of Mr. Trump, who has never mentioned Canada. The United States has a trade imbalance with Mexico, not Canada. Never before have we seen a state leader show his hand. Great job.

When will the government realize that the Prime Minister acted like an amateur and has put Canadian jobs in jeopardy?

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

Mr. Speaker, we did not tip our hand. We have an agreement, NAFTA, which has been very beneficial for Canada and for the United States. We recognize that. Canada is the top export destination for 35 U.S. states. NAFTA is very important for both countries and we will discuss it, in good faith, with the U.S. government in order to make any necessary improvements.

Infrastructure

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have every reason to feel betrayed by the Liberals. During the election campaign, the Liberals said that they would run small deficits to fund public infrastructure. Now those deficits are growing, and the Liberals want to line their Bay Street friends' pockets with tolls and user fees from these infrastructure projects.

What is more, the Liberals just repurposed $15 billion that was earmarked for cities like Rimouski and Jonquière to attract capital from the private sector, which will prefer to invest in Toronto and Montreal.

Once again, why did the Liberals keep their plan to charge Canadians tolls and user fees a secret during the election campaign?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we were elected on a platform to invest more than $120 billion in infrastructure over the next decade. We increased that commitment from $120 billion to $180 billion under the fiscal update. Only 8% of that is actually being used under the bank to build more infrastructure for Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal platform said that the infrastructure bank would “provide low-cost financing for new infrastructure projects”. It did not say that it would provide high-cost financing so Liberals' Bay Street friends could line their pockets. It did not say that Liberals would take $15 billion from communities like mine, in North Island—Powell River, to create this privatization bank that would do nothing for small communities. Surprise, surprise, it did not mention tolls or user fees. Why were the Liberals not honest with Canadians?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised the member opposite would not understand our infrastructure plan. We are investing more than $180 billion into infrastructure that goes far beyond our initial commitment.

The member is absolutely right that the role of the bank is to provide low-cost loans to municipalities so they can do more infrastructure with less cost to them.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, 7% to 9% is not low cost.

Over the last two decades, more than 10,000 Canadians have died from opioids and an untold number now suffer from addictions. Will the government agree to take action by creating a national task force and repeal Bill C-2 to remove unnecessary barriers to opening new harm reduction facilities? Will the Liberal government immediately declare the opioid crisis a national public health emergency? Action is needed now to help save lives.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we are in a national public health crisis in Canada. The growing number of overdoses and deaths caused by opioids is a complex emergency.

Building on our five-point action plan to address opioid misuse, today and tomorrow, the Minister of Health is co-hosting a conference and summit on opioids to bring together experts, patient groups, governments, and regulators to discuss the current crisis and identify actions moving forward.

We will continue to work with law enforcement and all our partners to bring forward compassionate and collaborative solutions to address the immediate crisis alongside its root causes.

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

Mr. Speaker, too many Canadians have died and too many lives are in danger because of opioid addiction.

Over the past two decades, more than 10,000 Canadians have died from opioid use and an untold number of people now suffer from addictions. The consensus is clear: we need effective leadership and coordination at the federal level to reduce the number of overdoses in Canada.

Is the minister ready to show leadership and declare a national public health emergency?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, we are in a national public health crisis in Canada. The growing number of overdoses that are caused by opioid is a complex emergency.

Building on our five-point action plan to address the opioid crisis misuse, today and tomorrow, the Minister of Health is co-hosting a summit on opioids to bring together experts, patient groups, regulators, and governments to discuss the current crisis and to identify actions moving forward.

Softwood Lumber

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

Mr. Speaker, allow me to explain to the government the great Liberal paradox when it comes to softwood lumber.

Softwood lumber is literally wood that is soft. The government is incapable of negotiating with the Americans because it too is soft. The Liberal paradox is that by being soft the Liberal government is making things hard for everyone.

Thousands of Canadian jobs hang in the balance. When will the government get to work defending our regions, our workers, and our families?

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

Mr. Speaker, we got to work right out of the gate.

We are working with our U.S. counterparts, with U.S. Trade Representative Froman. We are working with our producers and workers across the country. We are in constant contact with them, and we are working hard on negotiating an agreement that is acceptable for Canada. We will have an agreement, but it will have to be a good agreement.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 40% of B.C.'s regional economies and hundreds of small businesses across Canada depend upon the forest industry.

Last March, the trade ministercommitted to having a structure for a softwood lumber agreement in place in 100 days. Two hundred and fifty-two days later, there is still no deal.

Will the minister ever get an agreement respecting our forest industry or will the Prime Minister finally appoint a new minister who will?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said in French a moment ago, we have been hard at work on this file from the beginning. We do have a framework within which we are working with our American partners. That was elaborated by our minister and her counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

We are consulting Canadians across the country, in the industry, every province, workers, small companies, large companies. We understand the importance of the issue. We are going to negotiate an agreement, and we are going to negotiate a good agreement.

Dairy Industry

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government reminds us every chance it gets of just how little respect it has for Canadian farmers. There was not a single reference to agriculture in the throne speech. The Liberals have done absolutely nothing about the diafiltered milk issue, and now a completely botched transition program is failing dairy farmers.

All farmers will be affected by the importation of European products, but only a fraction of them will be eligible for the program the Liberals have introduced. It is unacceptable.

Where is this blatant lack of respect for Canadian dairy farmers coming from?