Debates of Dec. 5th, 2016

Marijuana

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak again about our commitment to legalize marijuana with strict access and strict regulation.

I am looking forward to receiving the report from the task force, which will contain recommendations about how we can move forward on this, understanding that it is our government that will decide.

The ultimate objective of legalization of marijuana, restricting access via regulations, is to keep it out of the hands of children and the profits out of the hands of criminals.

The Economy

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the only plan that seems to work for the Liberals is the marijuana plant. The economic plan certainly is not working.

Canada has lost 30,000 jobs. The Liberals will tell us over and over again that they lowered taxes. What they have done is create future debt, promise money that they do not have, and create illusions. The United States wants to lower corporate taxes.

When are the Liberals going to wake up and realize that their plan is not working?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a strong team that includes about 40 members from across Quebec who are working hard for their constituents.

Let us talk about action our government is taking in Quebec. We invested over $290 million in CED, and we are helping over 384 businesses and organizations grow through CED. Our government is committed to promoting innovation, fostering the growth of businesses, and developing a clean economy that benefits everyone.

Softwood Lumber

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, he should say that to the people in Quebec's regions who keep contacting our offices because they do not know who to talk to in the government, now that there is no longer a Quebec lieutenant or a minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Let us come back to softwood lumber. Again last week, it was confirmed that in 2006, it was thanks to the leadership of former prime minister Harper that the matter was resolved. It was our American partners who said that.

We are not seeing that leadership now. In fact, this issue was not even mentioned in the mandate letter of the Minister of International Trade. There is not a peep about it, but it is important to us.

Will they be able to resolve the issue?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that the softwood lumber agreement expired under the former government and that the latter did nothing to reopen negotiations with our American partners.

Canada is prepared for any eventuality and we will vigorously defend the interests of Canadian workers and producers. In the past, the courts have always ruled in our favour and we are convinced that they will continue to do so.

The minister continued negotiating with Ambassador Froman on the weekend and we are looking for a good agreement for Canada.

Taxation

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are at it again. Apparently they do not think Canadians are paying enough taxes. Now they are introducing a health care tax.

News reports have revealed that the Liberals are now looking to raise $2.9 billion by taxing Canadians' health care and dental plans. Do the Liberals not have any shame? They are now forcing Canadians to pay more for dental care and essential health care services.

When will the Liberals stop attacking hardworking Canadian families and stop charging them more for essential health and dental care?

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

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the member that the first thing this government did was to reduce taxes on the middle class, and the people on the other side voted against it.

Finance Canada is in the process of reviewing our tax system as a whole, specifically a tax expenditure to ensure tax fairness for the middle class and simplification of the tax code.

We are not looking at any tax expenditure measures in isolation. We are looking at the tax system as a whole to ensure fairness, simplicity, and efficiency across the board. No decision has been made, since we are still very much in the midst of the process and are still consulting Canadians.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there is not a tax the Liberals do not like. What do they not understand? Taxing 13.5 million Canadians on their health benefits is yet another financial burden.

The Liberals are attacking hardworking Canadian families. First, they took away the children's fitness tax credit, then they took the children's art tax credit, then the text book tax credit, and now they want to charge Canadian families and seniors another tax.

The Liberals continue to exploit the middle class to solve their own financial problems. When will the Liberals stop attacking hardworking Canadians and stop their plans for this new health care tax?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member knows very well that the only government that stood up for the middle class is this government. The people on the other side voted against every measure we presented to defend the middle class in our country. They voted against cutting taxes for the middle class. They voted against the Canada child benefit. They voted against the CPP enhancement in this country. They voted against the GIS top-up for seniors. They voted against our measures for students in this country.

Canadians know who is working for them. It is the government on this side of the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are well aware that, if any government is known for creating new taxes, it is the Liberal government.

This government dreamed up the Liberal carbon tax and the new Canada pension plan payroll taxes, and now it is inventing a new tax on health and dental benefits. That is completely unacceptable.

Can someone in this government rise and clearly tell Canadians that there will not be a tax on health and dental benefits?

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

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we are not dreaming, we are taking action. Canadians across the country know that. Why? It is because we reduced taxes for 9 million Canadians. We are doing tangible things to help Canadians.

We introduced the Canada child benefit, which helps nine out of ten families. We have improved the lives of Canada's seniors, first nations, and youth. Canadians know that the people on this side of the House are working for the middle class.

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have heard this government loud and clear. It refuses to say whether or not it plans to tax health and dental benefits. Some 13.5 million Canadians will be affected by this bad Liberal measure. The Liberals are about to take another $3 billion out of the pockets of Canadian taxpayers.

Once again, I ask the government, is there anyone in this House who can stand up and tell us clearly whether or not there will be a Liberal tax on these two things that will directly affect 13 million Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I just said a moment ago, we are in the process of reviewing the Income Tax Act in its entirety, to make it more acceptable from a fiscal standpoint and ensure fairness for all Canadians.

My colleague even mentioned the millions of Canadians we have helped. I would remind the member that he voted against a measure that helped 9 million Canadians when we lowered taxes for the middle class. He voted against the Canada child benefit, which will help nine out of ten families. He voted against measures that we introduced to support students in this country. He voted against measures for seniors. Canadians know that the only—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.

Democratic Reform

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if I were not laughing, I would be crying. The Minister of Democratic Institutions' new online questionnaire is extremely ridiculous and biased. This tool is so crude that nobody could possibly take it seriously.

The Liberals managed to come up with a questionnaire on electoral reform that does not even mention the voting system. They ignored the issue. When they talk about diversity in Parliament, they try to scare people by playing up imaginary radical and extremist parties.

Will the minister stand up and finally admit that the Liberals are not serious about this and will not change anything?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise on this traditional Algonquin territory to talk about a new initiative we launched this morning. Mydemocracy.ca is a new, engaging initiative that will allow all Canadians to have an opportunity to have a say in this conversation. As of just a few hours ago, over 8,000 unique users have participated in this conversation about the values they find most dear to them. We look forward to hearing from many more over the course of this month.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there are 20,000 tweets mocking this minister's survey. The first rule of engagement the Liberals should learn is not to treat Canadians like they are stupid.

Last week, the Minister of Democratic Institutions insulted our committee and the thousands of Canadians who participated with us in this process, because we were not specific enough for her. Yet today we see a pop-psych survey from this minister, and there is no mention of electoral systems whatsoever. Almost 90% of everyone who spoke to the committee recommended a proportional voting system. Yet the minister cannot even bring herself to put the word “proportional” in her survey.

If the minister truly wants a clearer answer, why would she not simply ask the obvious questions?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his hard work on the special committee on electoral reform.

Research around the world shows, as does the report from the committee, that the best way to have an inclusive and accessible conversation about electoral reform with the citizenry is through a values-based approach.

Should there be more diversity in this House? Should there be smaller parties representing a diverse range of voices, or should we have larger parties representing a broad set of perspectives? Should voting be mandatory and online? These are the questions—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, being on MyDemocracy.ca does not feel like a values-based approach. It feels like being on a dating website designed by Fidel Castro. No matter how hard one tries to be against the Prime Minister's preferred electoral system, the survey tells people that they really do support it. It is like magic.

With this website, the government has finally found a way to resolve the problem of Canadians continuing to give Liberals the answers they do not want. Just do not ask those questions. For example, the questionnaire does not ask whether Canadians want a referendum. I wonder why that might be. Would it be because the Liberals do not want to know the answer to that particular question?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I imagine the hon. member has taken the survey. I encourage all Canadians to participate in the survey. I thank all members of the House who have been participating and who have been sharing it on social media.

An issue as important as electoral reform deserves to include all Canadians from all walks of life. That is why Canadians cannot only fill the questionnaire out online, but for those in rural and remote regions, for seniors, and for those who are not comfortable online, they are invited to take part by using the telephone.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 19 in the House, someone said:

What we did was form a committee that is going to make thoughtful, responsible recommendations, and we are going to pay very close attention to what comes out of the work done by that committee...

Who said that? The Prime Minister himself. The experts, the people, and the committee, which was very clear in its report, agree: if the government wishes to change the voting system, it must hold a referendum.

When will the minister get it? Will she hold a referendum on the voting system, or will she just do as she herself sees fit?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his hard work on the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. The committee tabled the report in the House on December 1. We are going to reflect on the report, and the government will respond.

However, we all agree in the House that not enough Canadians are engaged in this conversation. There is an opportunity here for every Canadian. Fifteen million households have received an invitation in the mail asking them to be part of this historic conversation. We are counting on all members of the House to encourage their constituents to take part.

Ethics

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the justice minister denied there had been a leak of the marijuana report to Liberal friends, but after Rosy Mondin, a Liberal cannabis crony, donated the maximum allowed by law, she tweeted, “Task-force report being presented to gov't today. Report won't be made public (yet) but hope to hear snippets”.

Is the Liberal Party selling insider information to people willing to pay cash for access?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I rise again to answer these allegations. To be clear, I have not seen the task force report. I will receive the task force report in the middle of December, along with my ministerial colleagues, along with every member of the House, along with the public. We will then review those recommendations and the government will put forward its legislation with respect to the legalization of marijuana.