Debates of Nov. 18th, 2016

The Economy

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Global Entrepreneurship Week, an opportunity to celebrate all Canadian entrepreneurs from coast to coast to coast who work so hard.

In my riding, Vimy, hundreds of entrepreneurs contribute to our local economy. From Namtek to Bo Bébé, these small businesses create high-quality jobs to support the middle class and create training opportunities for our young people. Canada's small business owners are the cornerstone of our economy and need to be supported.

Can the Minister of Small Business and Tourism tell the House how the government is supporting Canadian entrepreneurs?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for this excellent question.

More than 300 events are planned across the country to mark this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week and to celebrate Canada's entrepreneurs, the people who drive our economy today and will continue to do so in the future. Our government is proud to support them.

I recently announced a $50-million investment in women-led start-up tech firms through the BDC.

Canadian Heritage

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a report from the front on the Liberal war on history: the latest casualty is the village of Almonte.

The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum put together its proposal for Canada 150 based around a mill founded in 1867, whose history traced Canada's. The project blended history, education, community, and culture. It was denied. Why? It is because the Liberals changed the rules after they applied, and Canadian history is no longer an appropriate theme for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Why is the government blocking this worthy project? Why this Liberal war on history?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. If by “the Liberal war on history” he means bringing indigenous people back into their historical context, referring to LGBTQ2 members, making sure that we have rich relationships with multicultural communities, and making sure that we fully value official bilingualism, then our government is resetting the record on history.

We are going to celebrate Canada 150 with four themes. This is what we will do as a government. We value history in this government.

Health

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, again, the federal government is making decisions for us by interfering in Quebec's jurisdiction when it comes to the choice of anti-drug programs funded by Quebec.

It is up to Quebec to find the health professionals that know what our needs are in the area of addiction programs. There are 10,000 public servants at Health Canada, and none of them provides care to Quebec.

Will the minister respect Quebec's choice and transfer our taxes to those in Quebec who are best equipped to manage them?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to a broader approach to drug policy that is comprehensive, compassionate, collaborative, and evidence-based and that balances regulation and enforcement with support for prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.

The Minister of Health is aware of the concerns of Quebec and is committed to working with it on this issue. She has asked her officials to reach out to the provinces to discuss this further.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after moving forward with Stephen Harper's cuts to health transfers against the unanimous will of the National Assembly, and after imposing the NDP's conditions on allocating funding from our taxes against the unanimous will of the National Assembly, the minister decided, from on high, to take it one step further by giving herself the right to make decisions on our behalf.

Never has a government done so much to undermine Quebec's ability to provide quality care.

When will the federal government let health professionals work in peace?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, our government is committed to a comprehensive public health approach to substance misuse based on prevention, treatment, enforcement, and harm reduction. The Minister of Health is aware of the concerns of Quebec and is absolutely committed to working with it on this issue. She has asked her officials to reach out to the provinces, and she will be discussing this matter further with the province.

Dairy Industry

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec produces more than 60% of Canada's fine cheeses.

Our cheese producers will be hit the hardest by imports of more than 17,000 tonnes of subsidized European cheese. It will be our producers who pay the price for this unprecedented competition. Our cheese producers have been abandoned by Ottawa, because $25 million a year for four years divided among all the provinces is an insult to an industry that we have every reason to be proud of.

Will the minister listen to cheese producers and the Government of Quebec and propose a real assistance package?

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's dairy producers were pleased with our announcement.

The minister and I met with producers and processors across the country. When the program was developed, we considered the comments made by producers and processors across Canada during our consultations. We are also investing in the dairy industry in order for current and future generations of dairy producers and processors to remain viable in the long term.

Indigenous Affairs

[Hunter Tootoo, Independent, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut]

[English]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. As I mentioned in my statement, the submission for the draft Nunavut land use plan is fast approaching. The minister has received a letter from the Nunavut Association of Municipalities requesting assistance to ensure that all 25 communities can participate and provide effective and meaningful input into a territorial land use plan.

Will the minister commit to working with the Nunavut Association of Municipalities so that all Nunavut communities are heard and their views considered for this very important plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is essential for Nunavummiut voices to be heard through the engagement process for the draft Nunavut land use plan. This week my department met with the planning commission and reiterated our commitment to supporting their engagement process.

With respect to the specific proposal mentioned by the member, my officials have recently received the proposal and are currently reviewing it.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

That will conclude question period for today. I see the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade rising on a point of order.

Oral Questions

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

Mr. Speaker, on my third answer to the question posed by the House leader on the other side, I inadvertently substituted NAFTA for TPP. The context of the question was clear. I was referring to the TPP, but I wanted to apologize to the hon. member and to the House and correct the record formally.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The House appreciates the prompt clarification.

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier, during question period, my esteemed colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, tried to contradict the statistics I provided with some of his own. I therefore seek the consent of the House to table a document from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer entitled “Labour Market Assessment 2016”, which was published on October 27, 2016.

On page 1 of the report, the parliamentary budget officer states there was a drop in the number of full-time jobs in the public sector. On page 4, we learn that this is consistent with the “decline in full-time employment during this period”, or 2016. On page 7—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order. I believe that this is turning into debate or an additional question period. It is not a point of order.

Does the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent have the unanimous consent of the House to table this document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

There is no unanimous consent.

Government Response to Petitions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 20 petitions.

Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in relation to the study of supplementary estimates B, 2016-17.

Health

[John Oliver, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Health, entitled “Interim Report and Recommendations on the Opioid Crisis in Canada”.

All committee members were deeply moved by the testimony we heard from our witnesses and we were seized with the urgency to bring our recommendations forward to help shape a national strategy in dealing with this crisis. While we had some disagreement with respect to the recommendations, all members worked diligently to release the report today so we could help shape the national conference on opioid usage in Canada, which is being held by the Minister of Health in Ottawa today.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the hon. member for Oakville, and all health committee members for their hard work on this emergency study on the opioid crisis currently being faced by our country. I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say we got through it with very few hiccups.

I would, however, like to make a quick mention of the rushed process in putting the report together. It was a challenge but, again, we got through it.

My Conservative colleagues and I feel the report does not effectively address the severity of the ongoing crisis. Nor does it acknowledge the main sources of these illicit drugs, which is China. We feel the report only highlights band-aid solutions to manage the crisis and does not actually look at ways to facilitate prevention. Really important is the quick integration of patients into treatment programs, which we think is essential.

The report also neglects to protect Canadians communities which, ultimately, should be the primary responsibility of the government. Therefore, my colleagues and I strongly believe that removing consultations and safeguards is an abdication from this responsibility. I am happy we were able to get our dissenting opinions in with the committee's report, even with the one-day timeline.

Again, I want to thank the member and all my colleagues on committee.

The Economy

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present my first petition in the House of Commons on behalf of the men's group of the Compass food bank in my riding of Mississauga—Lakeshore. This group represents, and is active in representing, low-income Canadians, their financial concerns, challenges, and hardships.

Drawing on statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and noting that the majority of low-income families in Canada are supported by only a single breadwinner, the petitioners call upon Parliament to offer short-term relief measures, pathways to the middle class, as well as initiatives and programs.

Pornography

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present petitions signed by Canadians from across Canada.

The petitioners are concerned about the accessibility and impacts of violent and degrading sexually explicit material online, and the impacts on public health, especially the well-being of women and girls.

As such, these petitioners call on the House of Commons to adopt Motion No. 47.