House of Commons Hansard #114 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rouge.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. I know how much members appreciate brief answers, but let us listen now to the hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, I should have let the member finish his lunch before I asked the question.
The connections between Kathleen Wynne, the Prime Minister, Gerald Butts, and Katie Telford are alive and well.
As ridiculous as this sounds, Kathleen Wynne asked her operatives in the Prime Minister's Office to pay for preparation, implementation, and monitoring of a recent trip to Israel, and guess what? Butts, Telford, and the Prime Minister said “Sure”, to the tune of $23,000.
We all know that Ontario is broke, but why are the federal Liberals using federal cash to pay for their friend Kathleen Wynne's public relations bills?
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I trust that the hon. President of the Treasury Board was simply ruminating on the question that is posed. We know he had a lot to eat in the House.
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, it is just that my colleague has the wrong information. The amount of money he speaks about is an amount of money that was available to anyone—
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, it happens that we are very pleased that the Premier of Ontario went to Israel. She did a great job there, and she had the services of the embassy, to which everyone is welcome.
If my colleague wants to go, he will have the same service.
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals really have lost touch completely with Canadians. They are wasting money left, right, and centre: limos, moving expenses, cash payments to staff, and the Prime Minister's ongoing international junkets.
They are increasing taxes on hard-working Canadians with payroll tax increases, a carbon tax, and a small business tax increase. Canadian families are struggling, and the Prime Minister is spending all this time with billionaires and celebrities.
When will the Prime Minister start hearing the pleas of regular Canadians and stop making their hard situations worse?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister has been very focused on the economy and creating jobs.
That is why we are very proud to work with Bell Helicopter for the creation of 1,000 jobs. That is why Thomson Reuters has created up to 1,500 jobs under the leadership of this Prime Minister. That is why we have 1,000 engineering jobs at GM.
Not only that, but let me take this opportunity to highlight some other companies, as well. DLA Piper and Kira Systems: we have helped with the increased recycling of electronic products, 260 jobs. ON Studio Animation in Montreal: we helped increase production for animation films, 300 jobs. Optel Vision—
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, Liam saved up the down payment for a home in Strathmore. He was pre-approved for a mortgage in his price range and was just waiting for his lease to expire so that he could move into a new home.
Then the Minister of Finance changed the rules. Now Liam cannot qualify for anything in Strathmore, Chestermere, or Calgary.
The Prime Minister is running a $30 billion deficit, and plans to borrow tens of millions more to revamp 24 Sussex.
How can the Prime Minister do this, while telling Liam that he cannot have a mortgage?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, let me say what this government is all about and remind my friend on the other side. We are investing $180 billion over 12 years. That is a historic investment.
Let me remind the member what we are doing: $25.3 billion in public transit; we are investing $21.9 billion in green infrastructure for Canadians; we are investing $10.1 billion in transport projects in this country; we are investing $2 billion in rural and northern communities.
We are creating Invest in Canada to attract investment. All that—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. I think we all know that the members for Brantford—Brant and Barrie—Innisfil can count, but they should not do it while someone else is answering a question.
The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, a senior official at Health Canada admitted at committee that it has no method of tracking requests, delays, or denials when it comes to counselling for first nation kids. This is a major concern.
Last month, in my riding alone, there have been several suicide attempts, and six were successful.
What is the government's plan for identifying the needs of indigenous youth? How can the health minister know what is needed without tracking this information?
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question, which refers to a discussion we had at the indigenous affairs committee last week. We talked about the mechanisms by which the first nations and Inuit health branch is responding to the needs of indigenous Canadians.
I am very pleased to say that indeed we are tracking those needs. In fact, I just returned from Manitoba where I was able to ascertain that 1,000 children have now been assessed for the full implementation of Jordan's principle to make sure that they have access to the care they need. People are very pleased that kids are getting the care they deserve.
Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, last week, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women released its report on Canada. It denounced the closure of 12 of 16 Status of Women regional offices.
These Conservative cuts limited women's access to services, especially in rural and remote areas. The UN has now asked the current government to reopen the regional offices.
Does the minister agree with the Untied Nations? Will she reopen the 12 Status of Women offices to better serve women, no matter where they live, yes or no?
Anju Dhillon LiberalParliamentary Secretary for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to preventing all forms of gender-based violence. We are working very hard towards this matter. Throughout the summer we held consultations, and we will continue our good work on preventing such situations.
Jennifer O'Connell Liberal Pickering—Uxbridge, ON
Mr. Speaker, our government committed to making it easier for Canadians to vote. Can the Minister of Democratic Institutions update this House on the next steps to ensure our elections are more open and inclusive?
Maryam Monsef LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Pickering—Uxbridge for this very thoughtful question.
I am pleased that today in this House we introduced Bill C-33. This bill is intended to repeal the unfair elements of the Fair Elections Act. We are going to remove unnecessary barriers for young people, seniors, indigenous persons, and homeless people who do not have access to proper identification, for example.
The bill will be debated in this House, and I am counting on our colleagues in this place to help further strengthen this bill.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberals refused to answer how much the obsolete Super Hornet will cost and how many jobs will be lost in Canada's aerospace industry.
Former national defence procurement head Dan Ross said, “This was probably the worst possible option.... The taxpayers will bear the cost of this...”.
Experts have unequivocally stated that operating an interim fleet will significantly increase the air force's operational costs.
Why are the Liberals wasting tax dollars, breaking the rules, and breaking their promise for a fair and open competition?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, we are investing in the Canadian Armed Forces. We are going to have an open and transparent competition, making sure that any company that meets the requirements will be able to compete.
In the interim, we are going to be filling the capability gap and not risk-managing as the previous government did. We are also going to be staying in the joint strike fighter program, which is going to benefit all Canadians.
We are going to be investing in the Canadian Armed Forces and not cutting as the previous government did.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, the only thing the minister can say to explain our capability gap is that we have a capability gap. I would remind him that repeating a lie does not make it true. There is no capability gap.
The Liberals should immediately launch a competition to replace our CF-18s instead of buying a fleet of 18 Super Hornets that we do not need.
How many billions of dollars, four, five, six, or seven, are the Liberals going to burn through to acquire the wrong aircraft?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, one, we do have a capability gap. I have spoken with the member opposite, who is the former parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, and he knows the numbers and the operational commitments that we have. Right now, we currently cannot meet those commitments simultaneously.
I do not understand why the Conservatives are against investing in the Canadian Armed Forces with an interim fleet right now.
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, female survivors of sexual slavery require special care and attention. Even the United Nations is calling upon Canada to ensure that Yazidi women and girls receive this type of care upon arrival. Yesterday, I put forward a motion at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women asking that Canada secure a plan for these young women and girls who are coming into our country in the coming months. Unfortunately, the Liberals were quick to defeat my motion without even so much as a discussion. Why are the Liberals rejecting every single effort put forward to serve these Yazidi women and girls?