Debates of Feb. 16th, 2016

Natural Resources

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, it was legislative changes made by the other government that led to cabinet being asked to make important decisions on great national projects. A political decision is a decision for which politicians are held accountable. We will be held accountable after a process that will have the confidence of the Canadian people and that will have a chance to play out in a reasonable way and a robust way.

When all of that is done, the government will take responsibility for the decision it takes.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the government is absolutely politicizing a process, and, in the midst of it, Liberals are laughing while tens of thousands of jobs are being lost in Alberta, New Brunswick, and across the country.

We also know that without energy east, Canadian refineries are forced to import foreign oil. Can the minister tell us if he is looking at what the upstream emissions are for the oil shipped to New Brunswick from Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, or is there one standard for Canadian oil and no standard for foreign oil?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we announced several weeks ago a new process that will lead to a better regulatory process for Canada. We know from experience over the last five and six years that that process has not carried the support of Canadians. Therefore, no projects have actually come to fruition since 2011.

We are not going to repeat a failed process. We are going to introduce a new one that has a better chance of holding the confidence of the Canadian people and therefore leads to a result in which more Canadians can have confidence than they were able to under the previous government.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that the Liberals are laughing about this. It seems that they care more about supporting Saudi Arabia than they do about workers in Alberta.

The Liberals' anti-energy plan is not working for Canadians. Instead of supporting Canadian pipelines, Canadian resources, and Canadian jobs, Liberals are propping up foreign oil. Over 22,000 Albertans lost their full-time jobs just last month. Energy east would allow Canadians to have access to Canadian resources and create Canadian jobs.

When will the Liberals get out of the way and allow Canadians to get back to work?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that low commodity prices have a consequence for families and for individuals in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. When the government was in New Brunswick, it was able to feel the impact of a mine closure first-hand. We understand that.

We are looking at the long term to have a more robust regulatory system. We understand the importance of moving our natural resources to market sustainably. That is our objective. The process that we have introduced will give us a better chance of getting there.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, some of the Liberals believe they are more qualified to make important regulatory decisions than the arm's-length National Energy Board. Meanwhile, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Canadians are at risk while shovel-ready, privately funded pipeline projects sit waiting and unemployment rates soar.

The Liberals are undermining the credibility of our world-renowned regulatory system. Can the minister please explain how his rookie government is more qualified to make these decisions than the experts at the NEB?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad for the question, because as the member knows, we will be modernizing the National Energy Board. We will be looking for advice from all members of the House in taking the regulatory system in Canada and improving it.

I look forward to having conversations with the members opposite about their ideas to get a more robust process, to lead, not only to a better result, but any result at all.

Regional Development

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has provided tens of millions of dollars to the Global Transportation Hub near Regina, but now this crown corporation is mired in a controversial land deal that saw it pay more than twice what the land was worth to sellers with connections to the governing Sask Party. There have been calls for an RCMP investigation.

Will the Government of Canada undertake its own investigation to ensure that no federal funds were wasted in the suspicious Sask Party deal?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, decisions made by local governments are decisions made by local governments. Our role as a federal government is to support local decision-making. That is why we have committed $60 billion of new money to support community-based infrastructure, based on decisions made by local government.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, in opposition, the Liberals voted against the Conservative's measures to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board. In fact, their leader at the time called the bill to kill the Wheat Board an affront to the rule of law. The Conservatives sold off half of the Wheat Board's assets to the Saudi-owned G3 Global Grain Group, leaving Canadian grain farmers to suffer $6.5 billion in lost income in the last two years.

When will the current government listen to grain farmers and restore the Canadian Wheat Board?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I think we are all aware of who ended the Canadian Wheat Board. However, I can assure members that this government will focus on its priorities for the sector, including an opening up of new trade rules to make sure that farmers receive proper remuneration for their grain. This government will make sure of that.

Ethics

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, recently media reports have surfaced indicating that the Irvings and members of the cabinet met in Moncton, New Brunswick last week. The government House leader is very familiar with Moncton and the Irving family.

Given the recent sanctions brought down on the government House leader, can he explain to the House what role he played in facilitating these meetings between the Irvings and the Liberal government?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, only that member would find a proactive effort to engage with the Ethics Commissioner days after the swearing in, to disclose to her a long-standing personal relationship and family friendship that I have had with the Irvings to which there has never been any financial component, and seek her advice in order to set up the appropriate measures to ensure that I am never in a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest. I followed the Ethics Commissioner's advice, and I will continue to do so. The hon. member obviously is struggling with that basic concept.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that was not an answer.

Since the Liberals have been in office, the House leader has been tied to questionable fundraising practices; he has tried to intimidate judges and tribunal members. Now the Ethics Commissioner has told him that he needs an ethical wall between himself and the Irvings.

We have seen these so-called ethical walls put in place before with this member. How realistic is it to expect the Liberal government minister from New Brunswick not to deal with the Irving family when it is the biggest economic influence in the province? It just does not add up.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure the hon. member and the House that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development meets daily with key stakeholders and key business people across the country. He meets with them and will continue to meet with them to make sure that we build a strong business climate for quality jobs for Canadians. However, let me confirm to this House that neither the government House leader nor anyone else from his office participated in that meeting last week.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development was in New Brunswick. He met with members of the Irving family, including some who are personal friends of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

Can the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons confirm that he was not at that meeting, that he did not facilitate it, that he was not aware of the discussions, and that he abided by the conflict of interest screen that prevents him from taking part in discussions between Irving Limited and the government?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Parks Canada

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I worked in Parks Canada for over three decades where I managed the national historic sites program in my region.

I worked with communities to recognize persons, places and events that had profound importance to Canadians. Under the previous government, this program was neglected and caused a huge backlog in designations.

Would the Minister of Environment tell me what her plan is to deal with this issue?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the hon. member for his great work.

Yesterday, the government was proud to announce 38 designations of historic sites, persons, and events, which helps us establish a link between our common history and the heart and soul of Canadians.

Our government is committed to considering all designation recommendations in a timely manner. We are working with communities across Canada to provide Canadians the opportunity to unite around our common history.

The Environment

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in December I asked the Minister of Environment why she chose to violate section 36 of the Fisheries Act and allow Montreal to dump eight billions litres of sewage into the St. Lawrence. The government had no answer.

A consultant's report described this discharge, but it was clearly not a formal environmental assessment. An Environment Canada's disclaimer said in this report, “These results might not reflect the Department of the Environment's views”.

The Liberals are always claiming the moral high ground on the environment, so why did the minister authorize this illegal discharge of toxic material in violation of section 36 of the Fisheries Act?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that the City of Montreal was able to limit the impact of the discharge.

The City of Montreal continues to abide by the conditions set out in the ministerial order of November 9, 2015. It has heightened its monitoring of water quality in the St. Lawrence River and is sending the data to my department.

Social Development

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have learned today that child homelessness has jumped 50% in the last decade. One of every seven users of homeless shelters is a child. Those numbers are heartbreaking and demand urgent action now.

We must be proactive and invest immediately in social housing and in a national anti-poverty strategy. We cannot let this situation get worse, but the government continues to be vague about its plan.

When does this government plan on investing in social housing and preventing child homelessness?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I agree that it is important to invest in social housing.

In recent weeks, I had the opportunity to meet with many stakeholders and partners who are concerned about this issue. We are working with the provinces and municipalities, and I encourage the member to keep an eye out for further developments in the coming weeks.

Finance

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Mr. Speaker, a Statistics Canada revision to the territorial formula financing in December had people in my riding of Northwest Territories, as well as people in Yukon and Nunavut, worried about their territorial governments' ability to plan ahead for the 2016-17 fiscal year.

The Minister of Finance pledged to identify options for addressing the impact of recent data revisions on territorial financial planning. Would the minister please update the House on what progress has been made on this file?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague, along with my colleagues the member for Yukon and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, for advocating on this issue.

Canadians expect their governments to work together. We have collaborated with the three territories to make the territorial funding formula more stable and predictable over time.

Today I am pleased to announce that I will be introducing an amendment to the formula. It will enable the government to recalculate the 2016-17 payments, which will provide an additional $67 million to territories compared to the amounts calculated in December.