Debates of Feb. 18th, 2016

Employment

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in the House, we saw that the government has completely lost control of the public purse.

Today, it is clear that the Prime Minister has no plan to help Canadians who lose their jobs, only sympathy. The most recent company to falter is Bombardier: 2,400 Quebec breadwinners will lose their jobs.

What direct action will the Prime Minister take to ensure that Bombardier can sell its planes around the world? Does he have an idea, a proposal or a plan?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years, we had a government in this country that did nothing for the manufacturing industry, did not look after those in need, focused entirely on the oil industry, and did not even prepare for the difficult times ahead.

After 10 years of neglect by that government, we are pleased to be working productively with the provinces and the different sectors to ensure that we build a strong economy for everyone.

Air Transportation

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 2,400 breadwinners in Quebec who are going to lose their jobs have just realized that the Prime Minister is not thinking about them because he has not said a word about Bombardier.

If he does not have any ideas, we have one: he should let CSeries jets land at the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto. Yesterday, I listened to the Minister of Transport say that this was the best airplane in the world and describe how nice it was inside the cockpit. I take him at his word.

Will the Prime Minister allow the Minister of Transport to take back the orders preventing CSeries jets from landing at the Billy Bishop airport? He will see that it is possible, that it will not cost taxpayers anything, and that it will create jobs.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we see that the Conservative Party is trying to sow division by pitting one part of the country against another. It is this type of irresponsible behaviour that relegated the Conservatives to the opposition benches.

The reality is that we are still working with Bombardier to ensure that we have good news from Air Canada, as we saw yesterday, that we are helping families in need, and that we are seeking to make sound investments for the economy and for taxpayers. That is what we are going to do.

International Trade

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, officials confirmed to the trade committee that they have not completed a study of the TPP's impact upon Canadians.

Experts are saying this deal would put thousands of jobs on the line, give foreign companies the power to challenge our environmental laws, and make medicine more expensive.

How can the government expect Canadians to believe that they are being consulted in a truly meaningful way when Liberals have not even studied the impact of this deal upon Canadian families?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. Our international trade minister has been engaged in consultations right across the country and, indeed, we have committed to bring forward the TPP to a debate and discussion here in the House so we can hear from the different sectors that will have advantages and from the sectors that have concerns.

The fact is we have committed to open consultations. We made that promise during the election campaign, and we are going to be keeping that promise.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he should tell that to the trade officials.

Liberals think that we can consult Canadians without even letting them know what the TPP would do. It gets worse. Liberals say they will review the temporary foreign worker program, but fail to mention that the TPP would create new loopholes to make it easier for companies to bring in foreign workers.

How do they expect to fix the broken temporary foreign worker program while they ram through a trade deal that would create new loopholes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have committed to openly consulting and engaging with Canadians and, indeed, parliamentarians. The NDP will have an opportunity to make its anti-trade positions heard loudly and clearly in this Parliament.

The fact of the matter is we are going to engage responsibly around files that matter to Canadians to ensure that they actually have the opportunity to make decisions about what is in our best interests as an economy.

Employment

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that 7,000 workers, including 2,400 in Quebec, would be losing their jobs. The Prime Minister, however, did not seem even remotely concerned. He, quite frankly, had nothing to say to them, aside from his usual platitudes. The employees and their families are worried.

The government's silence on assistance for Bombardier has gone on long enough. When will the Liberals understand that thousands of good jobs are at stake here? When will they take action for workers and their families?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers and all Canadians expect the government to be responsible in its investments and partnerships. We have been working with Bombardier for many months to ensure that the investments we can make will be in the best interests of workers and Canadians.

We obviously lament the loss of jobs, which is why we are focused on creating jobs and investing in growth. That is why Canadians voted for us, and that is what we will do.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 2,400 Quebec families will be affected, but the best the Prime Minister can do is shed a few crocodile tears.

We have already lost enough jobs, and this is more bad news. Maybe the government is planning to amend the Air Canada Public Participation Act. We have already lost 2,600 jobs because of that, which two court rulings confirmed. I sent the minister a letter before Christmas, and I have not heard back yet.

Is the government really planning to release Air Canada from its obligations? Are the minister and the government telling 2,600 people that they can kiss their jobs goodbye? Is that what it means to be responsible? We do not think so.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, one thing we know for sure is that overheated NDP rhetoric will not lead to solutions or create jobs.

On this side of the House, we are working in a responsible fashion to build a strong economy and a strong future for Quebeckers, Canadians, and people who are worried about job losses and want a better future for their children.

That is why we were elected, and that is what we will be putting forward in the budget a few weeks from now.

Finance

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a minister's fundamental job is to fulfill his or her mandate letter, and the Minister of Finance's letter tells him that he has to implement campaign promises.

What do we have so far? So far, we have discovered that the Liberals' tax scheme would cost Canadian taxpayers a billion dollars. We know that they have blown through their deficit cap of $10 billion. We also know now that they have no plan to return to a balanced budget, ever. Those are three broken campaign promises, and the minister is not fulfilling his mandate letter.

My question is simple. Is the minister just making this up as he goes along, or is he actually going to execute on the letter from the Prime Minister?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the hon. member that we were elected on October 19 by Canadians who elected us on a plan to grow the economy. We made it very clear what we were going to do.

We said that we were going to reduce taxes for middle-class Canadians, who needed tax reduction. We have already moved forward on that. We said that we are going to move forward with a Canada child benefit that would help nine out of ten families and hundreds of thousands of children. Then we are going to move forward on infrastructure investments that are going to help us grow this economy, all the while by being very prudent with our expenses along the way.

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that was a selective reading of his campaign promises.

Nonetheless, the minister's mandate letter goes on to say the following as well: “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we fulfill our promises, while living within our fiscal plan.”

My question is again for the Minister of Finance. Is a $30 billion deficit living within his fiscal plan?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have put forward a plan for Canadians. It is a plan that will be laid out in more detail during the course of our upcoming budget. What we have told Canadians, especially those middle-class Canadians who want to do better, is that we have a plan that will make a real difference in growth. We will do it by being fiscally prudent along the way. We will do it by making sure that our level of debt to GDP over time reduces. Yes, we aim to get to a balanced budget over time, recognizing that our economy makes that more challenging. That remains a very important goal for this government.

Economic Development

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 3,000 jobs were lost in Quebec in January, after more than six months of stability under the Conservative government. We are now starting to feel the effect this government is having on the economy. Jobs are being lost at Bombardier, at Rio Tinto, and in the forestry sector.

What is the minister responsible for economic development doing about it? He has posted an online questionnaire, and the first question is “...what are the main economic strengths or assets of your region...?” I hope the minister already knows the answer.

Is he trying to familiarize himself with Quebec's regions and learn about the expertise of its workers?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, this government is very committed to growing the economy across the country from coast to coast to coast, particularly in Quebec.

We have a very strong regional development agency there that is making sound investments in different parts of the Quebec economy. I was there most recently making investments in the Canadian Space Agency, and Quartier de l'innovation in Montreal.

We are going to continue to diversify the economy and create jobs, particularly in Quebec and across the country.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's silence is very disconcerting.

I repeat, 3,000 jobs were lost in January. Is there anyone at the controls?

This government has no plan to help the regions of Quebec. I would like the minister to clarify his intentions with respect to the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. Is he aware of the positive impact this agency has on all regions of Quebec and the businesses and the thousands of workers who benefit from it?

Can this government show through concrete action that it takes the economic development of all regions of Quebec seriously?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, this government has a plan, and we articulated that plan during the campaign.

We are making historic investments to create jobs. Let me remind the member opposite that we are making investments in shipbuilding, and not only in shipbuilding but also in jets. We are making investments across the country, particularly in Quebec. We are going to make sure that these investments create good, long-term, high-quality jobs. We are going to work with the regional development agencies to diversify the economy.

Finance

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal platform promised Canadians a balanced budget in 2019, but even before their first budget, the Liberals are throwing their entire fiscal plan out the window. Economies are often unpredictable, but serious governments keep their promises and fiscal targets. Why are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance betraying the promise of balancing the budget?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to take actions to make their lives better. We recognize that middle-class Canadians have not had a fair increase in income for many years. The most vulnerable really need to be helped in our society.

We have put forward ideas that we know we can put into our budget in 2016 that will make a real difference for Canadians. We know that we can deal with an economy that is more challenging than we expected, and that is what governing is all about.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it was not just the Liberal platform that promised a balanced budget. I will remind the finance minister that the Prime Minister explicitly directed him to balance the budget in his term. The very first point in the mandate letter from the Prime Minister was to meet “our fiscal anchors of balancing the budget in 2019/20”.

Will the finance minister confirm that he will do as the Prime Minister has directed him and balance the budget in this term? If not, what was the point of the mandate letter?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected us on October 19 because they had confidence that we were ready and willing to put forward ideas that could make a real difference in their lives.

We are facing the past 10 years of low growth. We now realize that the economy is more challenging even than we expected when we were elected. We are moving forward with a plan that will prudent, that will remain focused on reducing our net-debt-to-GDP ratio over time, and that will aim to get us to a balanced budget over the term, recognizing how challenging that will be in our economic environment.

Employment Insurance

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the economy is in a downturn and there are more job losses all the time. Just yesterday, Bombardier announced it was cutting 7,000 jobs, including 2,400 in Quebec.

While thousands of families are anxious about not being able to make ends meet at the end of the month, employment insurance is becoming harder to access. According to the latest statistics, only 36% of those in need of employment insurance have access to it.

In its budget, will the government finally help workers and create a universal eligibility threshold at 360 hours?