Debates of Dec. 1st, 2016

Employment

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss to ignore the last part of the member's speech, where he talked about pipelines. It is important to note that those jobs are down the line. Those are not jobs that Albertans need and want right now. Although those are important, and I applaud the government for doing that, they are not the jobs that we need.

The member spoke of doubling the infrastructure investments. He brought up the fact that September was when they did it. The Prime Minister met with the premier of the province back in February. So why did it take from February to September to announce that funding? That was an entire construction season that we lost, and the minister on the other side of the House should know that, being from Alberta.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to say that the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities is taking his responsibilities seriously and working hard for his province, Alberta, as is the Government of Canada.

I will repeat that a bilateral agreement will provide more than $1 billion to the province for public transit, water, and waste water systems. Furthermore we are working on expediting the funding through the building Canada fund. More than $1 billion will be used to renew the federal gas tax fund for pipeline project approvals.

We are not going to stop there. In fact, we will continue to work for Alberta. The minister knows better than anyone that these are difficult times for Alberta.

We stand with Alberta and Albertans today, and we will also be there for them in the future.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on October 5, we had a special visitor in Ottawa, Jada Malott, a young 12-year old girl who travelled from Windsor to bring her message to the Prime Minister that the trans-Pacific partnership was a bad deal for Canadians.

This young activist represents a generation that is standing up against unfair trade deals that have hurt its communities. Jada brought a passionate message of warning from her generation to ours, that this deal would leave 60,000 Canadians out of work, increase the cost of drugs, and empower foreign investors to sue Canadian governments in secret tribunals.

Many young Canadians visited our trade committee as we travelled across Canada, consulting on this dangerous trade deal. Young people asked us to stop the deal. They spoke of the difficulties they faced trying to find decent work and how they had seen their parents lose good paying jobs over the years, sometimes as a result of other bad trade deals.

Youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today. In southwestern Ontario and across Canada, they speak strongly about the need to stand up for strong, healthy, and resilient communities. They speak against trade deals like the TPP, a massive trade and investment deal that would put corporate interests ahead of the interests of Canadians'.

Of the 6,000 pages in this deal and the 30 chapters, only six have to do with traditional trade.

It is not difficult to see how damaging the TPP would be to Windsor—Essex. Our region stands to lose 20,000 auto jobs. We will all suffer under the increased drug costs, jobs will be lost due to the labour mobility chapter, and the ISDS clause will allow us to be sued by foreign investors.

When the trade committee visited Windsor, it was surprised to hear our local chamber president Matt Marchand, Unifor Local 444 president Dino Chiodo, president of Windsor and District Labour Council Brian Hogan, and the Windsor Economic Development Corporation, all bringing the same message of opposition to the TPP.

This is the labour rich region that Jada Malott has lived and grown up in. She knows well what will face southwestern Ontario under the TPP. She brought that passionate message to stop the TPP to this very House, in fact, to the minister of youth, the Prime Minister. She asked the Prime Minister if he would visit Windsor to listen to them about the TPP and he responded, yes.

Will the Prime Minister honour this commitment and come visit Windsor to talk about what a truly progressive trade agenda looks like?

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

Mr. Speaker, the government recognizes that it is essential to consult Canadians on the trans-Pacific partnership, the TPP. We promised Canadians that we would consult them in an open and transparent manner on the results of this agreement. We are now honouring this campaign promise by holding hundreds of meetings and discussions all across Canada.

I want to congratulate Jada Malott and other young people who have taken the time to share their opinion of the TPP. I met with her myself that day after question period and I asked her for her opinion on the TPP.

We want to hear from everyone. For instance, on September 9, Minister Freeland and Minister Bennett initiated a dialogue with some indigenous groups on international trade and investment initiatives, including the TPP.

This recent dialogue with the aboriginal peoples of Canada highlights the government's continued commitment to including all Canadians in its consultations. This dialogue is still ongoing and includes a recent trip I took to Yellowknife. I travelled there to consult stakeholders in the Northwest Territories and hear from representatives from indigenous groups, businesses, and civil society organizations.

Other than the 250-plus events involving over 500 stakeholders from across the country, we also held 10 town hall meetings that drew more than 1,000 members of the public. Many other interested Canadians shared their thoughts directly with us, including through submissions to the government website on the TPP consultations.

A wide range of Canadians have participated in these consultations, including representatives from the provinces, businesswomen, innovation company reps, farmers, representatives from the forestry and wood product sectors, representatives from the seafood products sector, indigenous groups, environmental groups, small and medium-sized businesses, unions, auto workers, auto parts manufacturers, port authorities, civil society organizations, academics, students, business leaders, and citizens.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade is also studying the TPP and its representatives have travelled the country as part of its strategy to raise awareness among Canadians. The House committee is accepting submissions until the end of January 2017 from all interested parties and those who want to share their views are invited to take part.

The government records every position and point of view, and it is quite clear that industrial associations and export-oriented businesses in Canada support the TPP. They generally perceive it as an important opportunity to diversify Canada's trade and increase market access for Canadian exports.

However, it is also clear that concerns are being raised by other representatives, such as those from civil society and unions, about specific aspects of the agreement, including the impact of the TPP on the economy and jobs in Canada; the potential financial impact of certain requirements regarding pharmaceuticals; and the scope and enforcement of the investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, or ISDS.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would remind the member that even in the adjournment debate, naming members by name is not allowed. Members are to be referred to by title.

The hon. member for Essex.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, instead of congratulating Jada, he could answer her concerns. The Liberal government could listen to the concerns that are echoed across the country by thousands of Canadians, show leadership, and stand up against the trans-Pacific partnership.

After the news today, I am very curious. We travelled on the trade committee. Over 400 people have come before us. We travelled across the country and widely consulted Canadians from the trade committee level on the trans-Pacific partnership. It is interesting to note we have not done so on CETA. No such consultation process has taken place.

However, getting back to TPP, after the news today that came in the House, we heard the minister for democratic reform essentially flopping right over her message and the Liberals' promise to Canadians on what they would do with the consultations and with the work of the committee. I sincerely hope I will not soon find myself, with other members of the committee in the House, with the same treatment of our TPP study. What will the Liberals' response be if this widespread report—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade.

[David Lametti, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada being a trading nation, its economic growth is directly tied to international trade. Our government strongly supports free trade, since it opens new markets to Canadian goods and services, grows Canadian businesses, and creates well-paying jobs for the middle class.

We also want to ensure that Canada is positioned to take advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets and that this is done in a way that meets the needs of all Canadians.

Over the past year, the Government of Canada has held discussions with Canadians and interested groups across the country on our approach to trade. We recognize that trade policy needs to be crafted in a way that addresses and contributes in a meaningful way to the government’s strategic, economic, social and environmental priorities. This is how the government is working to...

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 8:01 p.m.)