Debates of Feb. 1st, 2016

Income Tax Act

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

Madam Speaker, we certainly heard this narrative throughout the election, talking about the middle class. The member is right that we were not told by the Liberals what the middle class is defined as. They have defined it, though, through the tax measure they have brought in. They said they were going to concentrate on middle-class Canadians. They have concentrated on delivering tax relief to the top 10% of income earners in this country. By definition, what I and I think Canadians see is that the Liberal government and my Liberals colleagues across the aisle believe that the Canadian middle class is composed of those earning $190,000 or more.

Louise Arbour Secondary School

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise before this House to recognize a high school in my riding of Brampton North and the great social activism undertaken by its grade 10 students. Louise Arbour Secondary School is named after a distinguished Canadian who was recognized for her contributions to the Canadian justice system and for her dedication to advancing human rights throughout the world.

All grade 10 students at Louise Arbour Secondary School are tasked with completing a social action project. I had the great privilege to meet and hear from the following dynamic students: Arman Bhangoo, Ishdeep Binepal, Gurveer Gill, and Jaspreet Heer. These students have begun to take action on issues that they have found to be of vital concern to Brampton and Canada as a whole, issues such as domestic violence, air pollution, gun crime, animal abuse, and school violence, just to name a few.

As their representative in this House, I want to recognize them for their dedication and passion, and encourage them to stay engaged in their—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order please. The hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk.

Haldimand—Norfolk

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity thank all the residents of my beautiful riding of Haldimand—Norfolk who came out to vote on October 19, and a particular thanks to all those who voted to allow me to serve for a fifth term as their member of Parliament.

It is a real privilege and a pleasure to be able to serve such a remarkable riding and its people for a further four years. I will continue to work hard to be the strong Conservative voice that my constituents have asked for in Ottawa. I will continue to fight to make our riding an even more wonderful place in which to live, work, and raise a family.

From Long Point to Lowbanks, from Caledonia to Kelvin and Courtland, once again, I would like to thank folks for their support.

Hamilton

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the wonderful people of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas who put their trust and confidence in me. I will work every day, tirelessly, for Hamilton.

Today, I wish to speak briefly about my father, Phil Tassi. He was a proud steelworker. He believed in people and worked hard to have people believe in themselves. His example inspires and guides me every day. His approach to life represents Hamilton to me. We are a city of achievement and hard work. We are Canada's biggest steel manufacturer. Now, we are innovators in health, advanced manufacturing, and the creative industries. Hamilton was recently named Canada's top-ranked investment city.

People have called Hamilton many things: the Hammer, the Steel City. We are these things, but we are much more. Through our care and support for each other, we chase our dreams with compassion and stubborn belief. I am proud to represent Hamilton, the Ambitious City.

Black History Month

[David Christopherson, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of Black History Month, and I am honoured to rise in this House to celebrate the many contributions that Canadians of African and Caribbean descent have made to our great country.

In my home town of Hamilton, the history of these distinguished Canadians runs deep. The Reverend John C. Holland, the son of runaway slaves, was one of Hamilton's most important leaders and the pastor of Stewart Memorial Church, which has its own significant history as part of the Underground Railway.

The Hon. Lincoln Alexander was Canada's first black member of Parliament, first black cabinet minister, and first black lieutenant-governor of Ontario.

The legacy of these two outstanding Hamiltonians continues today through the work of people like Evelyn Myrie, a driving force in building inclusivity in Hamilton, and Matthew Green, who became Hamilton's first black city councillor in 2014.

I encourage everyone to take the time to learn the stories of the many people in Hamilton and all across Canada who played an important role in our history and continue to work to create a more inclusive and a more equal Canada.

Yukon

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure it is an unchallenged truth that the Yukon is the most beautiful riding in the country, with the tallest mountains in Canada, the biggest icefields outside the polar caps, the largest gold rush, world heritage national parks, and a thousand-mile sled dog race.

There are tremendous mining, tourism, IT, and arts and culture industries, and very successful Yukon first nations development corporations.

The most important resource of the Yukon is its wonderful people. There are 14 distinct first nations, and large francophone and Filipino communities.

Members get a chance to meet them all today, not only here, but at the Premier's reception for Yukon Days. Members can meet the presidents of the chambers of commerce, the mining executives, the Grand Chief, five chiefs and deputy chiefs, the Mayor of Whitehorse, the Premier and his ministers, and a delegation of over 50, all working together for the best future of the Yukon people.

It all happens this evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Château Laurier. I invite members to come one, come all, and enjoy true Yukon hospitality.

Energy Policy

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, it cost Ontario electricity users almost $1.8 billion to send 22.6 million megawatts of electricity south to light the skyscrapers of New York, rather than keeping that power to save taxpayers' dollars and give a break to 2.4 million average Ontario households that consume that amount of power.

Electricity bills have increased over 68% since the greed energy act was inflicted on Ontarians. The greed energy act is making a lot of Liberals and their multinational friends wealthy at the expense of seniors and others on fixed incomes who are forced to sit in their winter coats in the dark as they cannot afford to turn on the heat and lights.

Energy-policy madness has returned to Ottawa, with Liberal policy that prefers that Canadians buy foreign oil shipped by tanker from Venezuela over environmentally safer methods like Canadian-controlled pipelines. It is 2016, and thanks to Liberal energy policy, for 570,000 households in Ontario—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. The hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.

Promoting the Regions

[Rémi Massé, Liberal, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to honour the outstanding contribution of a dedicated journalist from my riding, Pierre Morel, who kept people in my region informed over this course of his nearly 40-year career.

Like other journalists from my region, Pierre is a stalwart of the regional news scene. Unfortunately, regional issues get overlooked in media coverage. According to Influence Communication's latest report, the Gaspé region's share of media attention was 0.1%, which is a direct result of reduced media presence in the regions. Our regions are bursting with talent, resources, dedicated business owners, and creators. Back home, we are so lucky to have documentary film producers, animated film producers, video game creators, and producers of creations that promote culture in Canada.

During the election campaign, we promised to reinvest in CBC/Radio-Canada and in the Canada Council for the Arts, and that is what we are going to do. If we are able to promote our regions, our people, and our culture across Canada and around the world, we can attract new investments, foster economic development, and create many jobs.

Canadian School Counselling Week

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the week of February 1 to 5 as Canadian School Counselling Week. School counsellors are employed in public and private schools to help students reach their full potential. We all know school counsellors are actively committed to helping students explore their abilities, strengths, interests, and talents as these traits relate to their career awareness and development.

School counsellors help parents focus on ways to further the educational, personal, and social growth of their children. School counsellors seek to identify and utilize community resources that can enhance and complement comprehensive school counselling programs and help students become productive members of society.

I wish to thank all of our dedicated counsellors for all they do for our children and communities, and wish them all a happy Canadian School Counselling Week.

Bernard Bélanger

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to recognize the tremendous work of an entrepreneur whose expertise has been influential far beyond the limits of my riding. He employs over 3,500 workers around the world and humbly helps improve services available to our community.

Bernard Bélanger, chair of the Premier Tech board of directors, whose global headquarters are in Rivière-du-Loup, has just disproven the saying that a prophet is without honour in his own country. The President of the French Republic, François Hollande, awarded him the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2014. Now it is Mr. Bélanger's own country's turn to honour his exceptional achievements by making him a member of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's most prestigious civilian honours. Mr. Bélanger embodies the virtues of tenacity, professionalism and caring. His accomplishments, particularly in the area of turf production, are so noteworthy that he has put our whole region—indeed, all of Canada—on the map.

Congratulations, Mr. Bélanger.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Since Commissioner Aylesworth Bowen Perry's term of office and the first patrol by RCMP marine officers aboard the schooner St. Roch in 1932, the RCMP has kept pace with the changing nature of Canada.

Under Commissioner Maurice Jean Nadon, the first class of female officers graduated from the RCMP training academy in Regina in 1975. Then, in 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Sikh officer, won the right to wear a turban in RCMP colours. I personally had the privilege of working on the RCMP Integrated Market Enforcement Team. Since February 1, 1920, "Defending the law" has been the motto of those who risk their lives to keep us safe and protect our values. We wish them a happy anniversary.

Beaches—East York Volunteer

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every year almost half of Canadians over the age of 15 perform volunteer work, which is a collective contribution of over two billion hours. Today, I would like to recognize one individual specifically, Olive Dodds.

Olive is 105 years old and still makes time to volunteer at Toronto East General, now known as Michael Garron Hospital. She credits the hospital for having saved her life, and amazingly she has volunteered for the hospital for the last 30 years.

A former nurse, Olive is particularly known for her knitting as she continues to knit dolls for sale to raise funds for the hospital, as well as hats and clothes for newborns.

As the member of Parliament for Beaches—East York, I thank Olive Dodds for her service, her kindness, and her commitment to volunteerism.

The Economy

[Ron Liepert, Conservative, Calgary Signal Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, generally a member of Parliament is pleased to stand in his or her place in this House and say positive things about his or her riding, but unfortunately, today is not that day.

In the past year, more than 100,000 Albertans have lost their jobs and much of their pride with it, and many in my constituency. Many more job losses are expected in 2016.

We all recognize that many of these job losses are due to the significant drop in world oil prices, but there are things the government could do to mitigate some of these job losses. Government infrastructure money or a $250-million special equalization payment will not put these folks back to work. What is really needed is for the Liberal government to show some leadership and come out publicly in support of pipeline construction projects. Members of the government could do that tonight by voting for our motion, which was debated last Thursday.

Several pipeline proposals that would move more than one million barrels of oil safely to market are in the hearing process. However, instead of showing support, the current government has introduced more red tape and extended the timeline for making decisions.

I challenge—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order please. The hon. member for Hull—Aylmer.

Black History Month

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to acknowledge the start of Black History Month.

Twenty years ago, the House unanimously adopted a motion moved by the hon. Jean Augustine to recognize the month of February as Black History Month. In 1993, Jean Augustine became the first black woman elected to Canada's Parliament.

I want to point out that the 2015 election produced an historic number of black MPs. Some 20 years on, Black History Month continues to be an important opportunity for Canadians to learn more about the long history of blacks in this country, beginning with Mathieu Da Costa, who, in 1603, served as a translator between the Mi'kmaq and the French under Samuel de Champlain.

I encourage all Canadians to take part in the events organized across the country during Black History Month in order to become better acquainted with black Canadians' historical and ongoing contribution to Canada.

Great Bear Rainforest Contract

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the signing of the final agreement of the Great Bear rainforest contract. After 20 years of struggle and conflict, first nations leaders, environmental advocates, businesses, labour, and municipalities have crafted an agreement that protects forever 85% of British Columbia's central and north coast. They have shown Canada and the world the way forward toward true resolution and true reconciliation.

For those unfamiliar with this stunning part of the world, the Great Bear covers almost 6.5 million hectares of coastline from the north coast of Vancouver Island to the Alaskan panhandle.

The agreement is a testament to the power of people overcoming historical differences. It is a model upon which to build trust between people long divided, to protect what must be protected. Today we all honour them.

Energy East Pipeline

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, do you remember the 1993 film, Free Willy?

The movie begins with a pod of orcas swimming near the coastline of the Pacific northwest. The pod is tracked by a group of whalers and one of the whales, Willy, is snared in their nets and taken away to a local amusement park to perform tricks.

Is that what has happened to Saskatchewan's only representative in the Liberal cabinet, the Minister of Public Safety? The trappings of power have snared him, and he is unwilling to stand up for the people of Saskatchewan.

During the election, the Liberals promised free votes. Saskatchewan residents will be watching closely tonight to see if the minister votes in favour of tonight's opposition motion calling on the government to stand up and support energy east. However, will he still be shackled by a Prime Minister whose real agenda is to promote and stop pipelines from being built?

In 1993, they freed Willy; in 2016, I say, “Free Ralph”.

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

The member for Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan has a sense of humour. However, he is an experienced member and he well knows that we do not use members' names here; we use their riding name, or their department if they are ministers. I know I can count on him not to do that anymore.

Black History Month

[Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on February 1 to recognize the beginning of Black History Month.

Throughout the month, Canadians across the country will have opportunities to recognize and commemorate many and varied contributions and experiences of black Canadians.

Too often we regard history as ancient, with little to no connection to our current lives. I strongly urge each member in this House to reflect on their own personal story and how it is impacted by black history.

My own parents, Ray and O'Dessa Caesar, came to this country from Grenada with $100 in their pockets. I have heard about the racism they endured and overcame.

It is important to recognize at this time how far we have come as a country and how far we still have to go. It is also an opportunity to recommit ourselves to ensuring equity and justice are realities for all Canadians, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Natural Resources

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, workers and families in Canada's resource sector feel abandoned by their Prime Minister. Thousands of intelligent, hard-working and talented Canadians are unemployed.

The Prime Minister can give them hope by voting in favour of our motion that supports the energy east project. Will he do the right thing and show his support for workers?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, every member of the House knows that there are Canadians who are suffering from job losses because of low commodity prices. They are suffering in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick. We need to establish a credible process that will have the confidence of Canadians.

The previous government, from 2011, built no pipelines because the process was not credible. We are in a better position today than we were a week ago.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, what is concerning is the Prime Minister's track record so far on these issues. Northern gateway, of course, was approved with over 200 conditions and the proponent was working to meet those conditions, but the Prime Minister killed it by unilaterally announcing a transportation ban off the west coast. Why? It is because he does not actually value these jobs.

If energy east and other projects do manage to get approved through this new process, how can he be trusted? He will politically interfere again and unilaterally kill more jobs?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the hon. member brought up the matter of trust. It was a lack of trust in the regulatory process under the Conservatives' regime that resulted in no pipelines built to tidewater from 2011. We have consulted widely across the country, across sectors, and across regions, and we believe that today we have a better chance of instilling confidence among Canadians than we had when they were running the show.