Debates of Feb. 18th, 2016

Natural Resources

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the message we received from indigenous leaders from virtually every region of the country is that they want to be involved in responsible and meaningful ways as we develop the natural resource sector in Canada. That has not happened and these projects will not be built unless it does. That is why a leading principle in the new way of doing things is to have conversations in a meaningful way with indigenous communities from coast to coast, something the previous government failed to do.

Forestry Industry

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber agreement expired last year, but the government has shown no signs of working to get a new deal. There are thousands of jobs on the line in forestry communities throughout British Columbia and across this country. The clock is ticking on these good, family-supporting jobs, and communities are looking for action.

When does the government expect to have a new agreement in place to protect Canadian forestry jobs?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the forestry industry is incredibly important across this country. We are very aware of the significance of the softwood lumber agreement and we are working very hard on it.

I am proud to inform members that at our very first bilateral meeting with President Obama, I was fortunate to be there and our Prime Minister proactively raised this agreement. My officials and I are negotiating very actively. My officials were in Washington last week. We are working very hard on this deal. It is essential for Canadians.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government promised change, but it does not seem to understand what the word means. Instead, it is adopting parts of the Conservative agenda. It seems that it is about to carry out the Conservatives' ill-conceived plan to close the Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre in Comox. Experts have warned us that this puts the safety of our coastal waters and the public at increased risk.

Can the minister tell us exactly when the Liberal government plans to shut down the Comox MCTS?

[Hunter Tootoo, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard, as I have mentioned before, has modernized its marine communications and traffic services centres with 21st century equipment. The equipment had not been replaced in over 30 years. It is like moving from a dial phone to a smart phone. This new technology is more reliable and is helping Coast Guard officials deliver critical safety services more efficiently.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, today the defence minister left the impression that the F-35 could be an option to replace our CF-18 fighter jets.

In the Liberal platform, it says, “We will not buy the F-35 stealth fighter-bomber.” I will give the minister a chance to explain himself here in the House. Will the F-35 be excluded from the bidding process to replace our CF-18 fighter jets? It is a simple answer, yes or no.

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

Mr. Speaker, the constant discussion is about F-35s. I am committed to actually replacing the F-18 to make sure we have the right capability for our air force that will be moving forward in the next 10 to 20 years and will meet the needs of Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's plan for combatting ISIS is very simple: Canada will be a spectator. Furthermore, we will do less and it will be more dangerous. The Liberals have already withdrawn our CF-18s, even though we are currently debating their motion, and this puts our armed forces in a vulnerable position.

Will the Minister of National Defence confirm whether or not our Canadians soldiers are vulnerable on the ground?

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

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the safety of our personnel, our generals take this extremely seriously. When we deploy any type of personnel, the full rules of engagement and the appropriate defensive measures will always be there.

I can assure the member that our current members have the full array of support that the coalition has, and we have even added additional capability.

I would also like to remind the member that defeating ISIL will only happen on the ground, and that is the reason we have tripled our training capacity.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the women and men of Garrison Petawawa, home to the Canadian Special Operations Regiment.

Yesterday we learned that the Liberals have already withdrawn the CF-18 air cover for our troops on the ground.

The families of CSOR, those who provide the boots on the ground for this change in mission, want to know is the minister prepared to take full responsibility for putting their loved ones at increased risk just to fulfill a campaign promise?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member also knows, I have served alongside members. I know the families are ultimately impacted. When it comes to the safety of our personnel, I take it very seriously.

Having travelled into the region twice, I can also mention some of the capabilities that were not brought in, and one was anti-armour capability. This is one of the reasons I have taken meticulous effort to making sure we have the right capabilities for our deployed personnel, making sure they have everything they need and they have full capability.

I can assure the member that they are well trained because I have been alongside them in the past.

Regional Economic Development

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it was my privilege to have the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development visit the Halifax area during constituency week.

While at Volta Labs, the minister announced over $2.7 million in funding from ACOA to seven companies and organizations, representing the ICT, clean tech, and fisheries sectors in Nova Scotia.

I am proud to also mention that Pantel International, located in my riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, was one of several companies to receive funding.

Can the minister kindly update the house on his recent ACOA announcements?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, members may be familiar with Atlantic Canada, where I saw first-hand the great work that ACOA is doing to support the local economy.

In Halifax, the government announced seven projects, as the member mentioned, under ACOA's business development program, which of course included investments in both the labs and ICT hub, and investments in Pantel International, an innovative communications company in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Advancing an innovation agenda that will create jobs is a priority for this government, and I was glad to be there. We will continue to make those investments.

Foreign Affairs

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this very place, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, and I quote:

...the government has very stringent criteria for determining [who will be provided] humanitarian aid. We control every aspect from A to Z.

This is in stark contrast to an interview given by the Minister of International Development last week, who acknowledged that aid could go to Islamic State fighters.

Is the Minister of Foreign Affairs confused? Are Canadian tax dollars going to terrorists?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the only confusion is in the minds of the Conservatives.

We obviously ensure that aid provided by Canadians through their taxes addresses humanitarian needs and is not diverted by terrorists. We do that. At the same time, when a doctor from Doctors Without Borders treats an injured person, it does not matter what side the injured person is on. The doctor will treat the injured no matter what side they are fighting for. That is the doctor's mission.

The Conservatives' mission is not to ask confused questions.

Regional Economic Development

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, our rural regions are having an increasingly hard time getting services for residents. They deserve to be treated equally.

Access to high-speed Internet and a good mobile phone network is essential for regional development and security. The Conservatives never fixed this problem because they did not understand the regions.

Will the Minister of Innovation commit to finally fixing this issue by offering programs adapted to regional realities?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the Internet touches every part of our lives, and connecting Canadians is a priority for this government. That is why we are very confident in the program we have, connecting Canadians from coast to coast to coast, which allows us to make investments in these remote and rural regions. It is really about promoting the digital economy. It is about looking at and addressing in a meaningful way the digital divide that currently exists. This government is committed to this agenda, and I will work with the member opposite to make sure we continue to make these investments.

Agiculture and Agri-Food

[Pierre Breton, Liberal, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's dairy industry is second to none. It has more than $6 billion in farm gate sales and $15 billion in sales in the processing sector and supports more than 100,000 jobs across the country. Furthermore, the industry is a leader when it comes to environmental concerns.

Can the Minister of Agriculture tell us about what he is doing to invest in this important industry?

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

Mr. Speaker, I recently announced $1.75 million in new funding for the dairy research cluster. This will help boost milk yields, increase farm production, and improve knowledge around the health benefits of milk products.

Our government will continue to invest in the dairy industry and agricultural science and research, to ensure this great industry thrives.

Foreign Affairs

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands stood in this place and asked what the government is doing to secure the release of Kevin Garratt and his wife Julia. They have been held, now, by Chinese security forces for over a year.

What did theMinister of Foreign Affairs say in response? He said, “We have communicated how much we disagree with the situation...”.

I am not sure that the minister's bureaucratic tone is grabbing the attention of the Chinese.

When is the Minister of Foreign Affairs going to make the Garratts' release a priority?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, of course it is a priority. The only goal I have in this is to free Mr. Garratt. It is something on which we have worked very hard. I want to assure my colleague that I am ready to co-operate with him, and with everyone, to find a way to free Mr. Garratt. I am not here to be the hero of the story and to pretend that I am doing a lot of things that may not be helpful. The only goal is to free every Canadian in trouble around the world, and it is what we will work upon.

National Defence

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the government shared its plan for combatting ISIS.

Although we are pleased with the Prime Minister's intentions on the humanitarian aid front, his plan falls short, and here is why: without a direct military contribution, the humanitarian aid that we are planning to provide may never reach the people hardest hit by the conflict.

Is the government prepared to reconsider its plan? Too many lives are at stake to turn this into a partisan issue.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right: this is not a partisan issue.

That is why I invite him to examine the plan, which strengthens Canada's role in fighting the so-called Islamic State. We are tripling the size of our training mission, doubling our intelligence gathering efforts, enhancing humanitarian aid, adding development assistance, and supporting Lebanon and Jordan. I hope he will support this excellent plan and read it carefully.

[Michel Boudrias, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government's plan for the fight against ISIS sends the military mission in Iraq and Syria in a whole new direction.

Yesterday the Minister of National Defence announced that we would be tripling our military forces on the ground in order to enhance training and provide technical support to the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces. However, pulling out our CF-18s will deprive our troops of an important protective element.

Can the government tell us if it is planning to deploy other kinds of protection on the ground in order to secure the humanitarian assistance first, but more importantly, to protect our troops in the theatre of operations?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member that, when we work as part of a coalition, the coalition has the full capabilities. The coalition will have air strike capability. We are adding our own additional capability. We are adding exactly what the coalition needs, because the defeat of ISIL can only happen on the ground. That is also why the intelligence assets are needed. Canadians have a tremendous amount of experience that has been gained, and this is exactly what we are going to be providing.