Debates of Feb. 1st, 2016

Finance

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, to make Parliament and government more open, transparent, and accountable, it is critically important that we reform and realign the estimates and budget process. We want to empower parliamentarians to once again be able to scrutinize spending and to hold government to account. That is why tonight we invite MPs and senators from all parties to join us for a briefing on the estimates process. We need to have a common understanding of the estimates process today and what it is going to take to fix it and to actually make Parliament work—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it was bad enough last week when Canada was not invited to the anti-ISIS meeting in Paris. The Liberal government was snubbed because it expects other nations to fight terrorism while it cuts and runs, taking out our CF-18s without a plan. Then late last week, the rookie Minister of National Defence blamed our allies for the spread of terrorism. Instead of condescendingly lecturing our allies, why does the defence minister not finally tell us how he will use our military in the fight against ISIS?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I learned my lessons working with our allies. Indeed, what I said in my speech at Canada 2020 is that when I was actually working with them I learned about the issues that allow radical organizations to take advantage of certain issues and then our having to form coalitions after the fact.

What I want to ask the member opposite is where was his government in looking at those issues? Why did it allow the issues to get so big and not attack ISIL when it was a small organization?

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we had a plan, a plan that was respected by our allies. Last week resembled a blast from the past, a time a former Trudeau government would cozy up to communist regimes and chastise our allies. Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that Canada was going to normalize relations with totalitarian regimes like Iran and Russia, and then on Friday, our rookie Minister of National Defence suggested our allies were to blame for all that is wrong in the Middle East and the spread of terrorism.

Why are the Liberals lecturing our allies on how to fight terrorism while at the same time befriending Putin and Iran?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, it is about consulting our allies and having a dialogue. These lessons, as I stated, were learned while working with our coalition partners and that is the plan that we will be putting forward, making sure that we get this right so we do not make the mistakes of the previous 10 years.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I just got back from a NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Washington. Contrary to what the government says, members of Congress and the U.S. State Department are very disappointed that Canadian fighter planes have been withdrawn from Iraq and Syria.

Why is the government bent on ignoring our allies in the fight against the so-called Islamic State?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as the member stated, we are committed to ending the air strikes. However, we have taken the time to make sure that we check out the entire situation. I have visited the region twice. I have spoken with our allies and I have spoken with my counterparts.

When we come out with our plan, it is going to be to ensure that we not only have a positive impact but that it will impact our allies and make a contribution for years to come.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, 45 people were killed and 110 more were injured in an attack in Damascus for which ISIS claimed responsibility, but the Minister of National Defence says that his plan is not ready. Seriously?

If the Liberals cannot come up with a plan, why should Canadians trust this government to keep them safe?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we have to make sure that we take our time with this, make sure that we consult our allies, and make sure that we assess what the enemy situation is. I want to make sure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, because every single time we make those mistakes as political leaders, we send our men and women into harm's way for no reason. I will not repeat those mistakes.

CBC/Radio-Canada

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in the election, millions of Canadians voted “no” to the Conservatives' plan to dismantle the CBC.

Our public broadcaster was under attack by the Conservatives for 10 years, so it is about time that we breathed some life into the CBC. The Liberals made some promises and they need to keep them. The Minister of Canadian Heritage has so far refused to confirm any specific funding, and yet their election commitment was very clear.

My question is simple. Is the government going to invest $150 million in the CBC, as promised during the election campaign?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question.

We were elected on a platform that called for ambitious reinvestment in arts and culture. We received a clear mandate from Canadians: to deliver on that platform.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer. A promise isn't something you can just say to get yourself elected. Canadians expect the current Liberal government to keep its promises. Page 56 of the Liberal platform promises to “reverse [the previous Conservative prime minister's] cuts and invest $150 million in new annual funding”.

CBC is the cultural spine of this nation, the very essence of Canadian identity. Will the Canadian government keep its promise on the CBC? Just one word, yes or no.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we strongly believe in the importance of a public broadcaster and a public content creator in this 21st century. This is why we will reinvest in CBC/Radio Canada. That is a platform commitment and we will abide by it.

The Senate

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions seems to be confused about the meaning of the word “public”. While she claims that the new Senate advisory board appointment process is available online, the entire process is conducted behind closed doors, keeping Canadians completely in the dark. The advisory board will meet in secret, provide non-binding lists in secret; then the Prime Minister may or may not choose a senator from that list, again in secret.

I ask the minister, why the secrecy?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, an independent, non-partisan advisory board has been established to assess Canadians against a list of public criteria that would allow us to enhance the overall functioning of the Senate. I invite the hon. member to review our website for upcoming details and news.

Democratic Reform

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister is quoted today in the media as saying that holding a referendum to change the voting system would be doing a “disservice to Canadians”.

In 2007, the Government of Ontario held a referendum on whether to change its voting system to mixed-member proportional. My question for the minister for elections from Ontario is simple. In 2007, did she vote in that referendum, or did she regard the referendum as being such a disservice to Ontarians like her and me that she withheld her vote as a protest against an entire illegitimate process?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I am not sure that how someone voted previously is a matter of the responsibility of the government. We are going to have to go to the next question of the member for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston.

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

I do not know how fair that was to the minister, Mr. Speaker.

Ontario in 2007; P.E.I. in 2005; B.C. in 2005 and 2009; the U.K. in 2011; and New Zealand in 1992 and 1993, when that country voted to adopt a mixed-member proportional system, and then in 2011 when it voted to keep it, the citizens of all of these jurisdictions on all of those dates were given a referendum on whether to change their voting system. Sometimes they voted yes; sometimes they voted no.

How would it be a disservice to Canadians to treat us like adults, too, and submit any new voting system for direct citizen approval?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I would hope that the member opposite would work on his attention to detail when reviewing articles with the minister.

Last week, we acknowledged that it was not until 100 years ago that some women in Manitoba got the right to vote, a right that would only be extended to indigenous peoples in 1960. It is in that spirit of evolution and inclusion that we will undertake a process to consult with Canadians in a meaningful and thorough discussion about ways to modernize our democratic institutions.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I know we want to have more and more women parliamentarians in the House of Commons and it is important that we have a workplace that is civilized, so let us ensure it is not like a 1950s old boys club in here.

The hon. member for Pierrefonds—Dollard.

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development

[Frank Baylis, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, falling natural resource prices have had a significant negative impact on Canada's economy. It is at times like these that we understand the importance of having a more diversified economy.

Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development inform us of the steps he is taking to promote new industries and diversify Canada's economy?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for the question and his hard work on this file.

The government understands the importance of economic diversification and we have a plan to make it happen. We are committed to a very comprehensive innovation agenda that is focused on start-ups, scale-ups, and making sure we focus on commercialization. Nowhere is this issue more important than in those single resource-based communities that are affected by a changing economy. That is why this government is focused on a growth agenda. That is why this government is focused on an innovation agenda that will create jobs from coast to coast to coast.

Foreign Affairs

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend over 80 people were killed by Boko Haram in Nigeria, including a number of children who were burned alive. Canada's Office of Religious Freedom is part of a project in rural Nigeria that created a network of Muslim and Christian leaders, who have been working together to reduce this type of violence.

These projects are needed now more than ever, so why are the Liberals shutting down the Office of Religious Freedom and once again running away from the fight against radicalization and terrorism?