House of Commons Hansard #122 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was fasd.
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Mr. Speaker, today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada.
This day marks the anniversary of the death in 1989 of 14 young women at L'École polytechnique de Montréal who were murdered simply because they were women.
Can the Minister of Status of Women inform this House what actions we can take to remember the victims, and ensure that this type of senseless violence never happens again?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, today Canadians remember the tragic murder of 14 young engineering students at L'École polytechnique de Montréal, who were killed because they were women.
Our government is taking important actions to raise awareness about violence against women and girls, help prevent it, and support survivors. We are currently developing a federal gender-based violence strategy that will prevent and address violence.
Today, we invite all Canadians to renew their commitment to ending gender-based violence and reflect on this solemn occasion by observing a minute of silence or participating in a vigil. Our actions do matter.
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are doing anything but making Canada's tax system fair and progressive.
Talk shows and Liberal friends will be receiving tax cuts, while hard-working Canadians will be seeing a new health tax. Introducing this new health tax on more than 13 million Canadians is targeting the middle-class families, all because the Liberals cannot control their reckless spending.
Will the Liberals assure Canadians that they will not implement a tax on health and dental benefits, simply yes or no?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as mentioned, we started off in government by lowering taxes on Canadians.
The people opposite have voted against a reduction in taxes for middle-class Canadians. They have voted against the Canada child benefit, which is helping nine out of 10 families with children.
We can assure Canadians that we are working to ensure that our tax system is fair. We can assure Canadians that we are working to ensure it is simple.
What I can tell all Canadians is that, as we review our tax system, we are not looking at any measure in isolation. We are moving forward in a way to ensure fairness and simplicity.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House and all Canadians that we voted against $30-billion deficits and against the loss of control over public spending by this government for more than a year now.
This government invented the Liberal tax on carbon. This government invented new charges associated with pensions, and now it is inventing a health and dental benefits tax. More than just a few Canadians will be affected by this measure. In fact, more than 13 million Canadians will pay a surtax, a Liberal tax on health benefits and a Liberal tax on dental benefits.
Can the minister explain why he wants to tax—
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I will be clear. We reduced taxes for the middle class. That is very important. We introduced the Canada child benefit, which will help 9 out of 10 children.
We want to ensure that our tax system is clear, simple, efficient, and equitable. That is very important. We will continue to carry out studies. Nothing has been decided yet, and every decision will be made with a view to having an equitable and easily understood system.
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the justice minister dodged my question about who leaked the marijuana report. Everyone seems to have seen this report, yet she insists that her ministerial colleagues have not. I asked if she has launched an investigation into her leak, and her lack of a direct answer makes it look as if she is hiding something.
The question is: Who is the justice minister protecting?
Bill Blair LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, our government committed to legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to marijuana in order to keep it out of the hands of youth and to keep profits out of the hands of criminals.
The government, in order to get the best advice on what a regulated regime for legal access to marijuana could look like, appointed a task force of nine eminently qualified Canadians. The task force finalized its report on November 30th. It will be released to all MPs and the public in mid-December.
If I may be very clear in response to the member opposite's speculations, no member of our government has yet seen the final report. We will see it at the same time as—
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, so far the justice minister has told us that they see no need to investigate the leak.
We know that the RCMP has been asked to investigate. We know that the Ontario Securities Commission is investigating. We know that the document has been leaked.
When will the minister begin her own investigation?
Bill Blair LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, the task force finalized its report on November 30. In mid-December that report will be released to all MPs and to the public.
If I may be clear again, no member of our government has yet seen the final report. We will see it at the same time as every member of this House, when it is made public in mid-December.
Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, today we honour the memory of the women murdered in the École polytechnique massacre.
In Canada and around the world, violence against women is intolerably high. More than half of Canadian women will experience violence, and thousands of indigenous women have gone missing or been murdered in the past 30 years.
The United Nations critiqued the government for not going far enough in the fight to end gender-based violence. Will the government listen to Canadians and listen to the United Nations and act on a national action plan to end violence against women?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, today we remember the 14 young women whose lives ended in an act of gender-based violence that shocked a nation.
On December 6, we must reflect on the phenomenon of gender-based violence in our society and consider concrete actions to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Every action matters when it comes to preventing gender-based violence.
Our government is developing a federal gender-based violence strategy that will raise awareness and take action to end the violence that women and girls face in our country today.
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Salaberry—Suroît, QC
Mr. Speaker, according to a new Statistics Canada study, the number of young people 24 and under with a full-time job fell by close to 20% in 30 years, while the number of part-time jobs has tripled. Young people’s wages have also fallen compared to previous generations. The precarious situation of young people has now been scientifically proven.
What is the Prime Minister and Minister of Youth’s plan to ensure that people my age, of my generation and the following generations have full-time jobs?
MaryAnn Mihychuk LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that we have announced the formation of the expert panel on youth employment, which is helping to generate bold and innovative ideas to address those very concerns.
In addition, I want to point out that we put in $1.5 billion to increase grants, $175 million that was transferred to the provinces and territories for training, an additional $85 million for union-based training, $73 million for work-integrated learning, and $165 million for a youth employment strategy.
We will continue to work to make—
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, the energy east pipeline would replace around 700,000 barrels of foreign oil per day with Canadian oil at east coast refineries. New Brunswick's Liberal premier says there is still a strong need for energy east. The natural resource minister says there is still room for it.
Will he finally restart the hearings and commit, today, that he will accept the recommendation of the independent, arm's-length, science-based National Energy Board review; or will the Liberals kill the project for political reasons, as they did with the northern gateway pipeline?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the process is unfolding according to the timelines.
I would have thought the hon. member would want to talk about the two pipelines that were approved last week that will create 22,000 jobs in his province, in Alberta, and right across the country. I have had conversations with energy workers, who those opposite have been defending all of these months. Why is it not time to say that these decisions are in the interest of the workers of Alberta and all of Canada?
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, the northern gateway pipeline was in the interest of workers as well.
When the minister delayed the Trans Mountain pipeline by half a year for the Liberals' ministerial advisory panel process, we were told that it would create pipeline peace, love, and social licence. How is that working out? The panel was completely ignored, pipeline opponents are promising coordinated civil disobedience, and the minister has threatened to call in the army—great success.
Will the minister admit that all he has accomplished with his unnecessary delays and provocations is stir up dissent, inflame tensions, and make it more difficult to get this pipeline built?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows that conversations about pipelines in Canada are not generally all calm. For example, in the New Democratic Party, there are many who think that Rachel Notley and union members are on the right track. Other members might disagree. Within other communities, there are differences of opinion.
I just think that after all the questions, all the energy the official opposition has put into encouraging us to approve pipelines, the member would reflect for a moment and be grateful that 22,000 Canadians will have work.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, November job numbers show the most unemployment in Alberta in a quarter century. More Albertans lost their jobs last month than in all of the rest of Canada. There have been 13,000 more full-time jobs lost, right before Christmas.
Today the Minister of Natural Resources claimed that Albertans have a spring in their step.
People are devastated. They are losing their jobs. They are losing their homes. They are being forced to use food banks. How can the Liberals be so out of touch?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, since our government took power in October of last year, according to Statistics Canada 183,200 jobs have been created from coast to coast to coast, including in Alberta.
When we ask companies why they invest in Canada, it is very clear that it is because of the policies we put forward, the investments we are making in infrastructure, and the investments we are making to help the middle class.
We have a plan that is creating jobs and creating growth across the country, particularly in Alberta.
James Maloney Liberal Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, investing in infrastructure to support the move to a cleaner transportation system would make it easier for Canadians to choose low carbon vehicles while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating middle-class jobs.
Could the Minister of Natural Resources please tell the House about what investments the government is making in low-carbon transportation initiatives to make it easier for Canadians to use cleaner fuels and vehicles?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we announced investments to create a cleaner transportation sector by expanding the infrastructure that supports electric and alternate fuel vehicles. Once fully implemented, our commitment of $62.5 million over two years will result in more than 280 electric vehicle charging stations, nine natural gas refuelling stations, and three hydrogen refuelling stations.
By establishing new infrastructure, we are setting Canada's transportation system on a path to lower our carbon in the future while creating jobs--
