Debates of Feb. 4th, 2016

Opposition Motion—Department of Finance

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my colleague's attention to page 175 of the federal budget 2015, chart 3.4.1. If he looks at that, he will see a noticeable spike in 2004. We know what started to happen then, but from 2006 onwards there was the highest level of infrastructure investments in Canadian history by an order of magnitude.

I know that in my home province of Alberta, our federal government invested multiple times more than the Liberal government ever did. And here is the thing: we did it while bringing the federal tax burden to its lowest level in over 50 years. Canadians have more money in their pockets because of us, and I really hope that the parliamentary secretary will really enjoy telling Canadians over and over again why the Liberals are stealing their money.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will resume debate after question period.

Brampton Centre

[Ramesh Sangha, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, like many immigrants, I came to Canada 20 years back. Canada gave me the opportunity to establish my successful law business.

I want to thank all of the constituents of Brampton Centre for giving me the privilege of representing them in the House of Commons. I would also like to thank my friends, my immediate and extended family members, and all volunteers for their contributions to my successful campaign.

Brampton Centre is one of the most diverse ridings in Canada and I am proud to represent the same in the House. I pledge to work hard for every constituent.

I also look forward to working with every member of the House for the betterment of my riding, as well as the betterment of Canada.

Optimist Movement

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this being national Optimist day, I would like to take the opportunity to talk about the tremendous work the members of this organization do every day to make the future brighter and bring out the best in children, their communities and themselves.

For over 90 years, the Optimist movement has been one of the premier volunteer organizations. It values all children and helps them develop to their full potential.

Today I would like to recognize the extraordinary work of the Optimist clubs in my region, Baie-Saint-Paul, La Malbaie, l'Île d'Orléans, and the Côte-De-Beaupré Optimist club, for the incredible work they do with young people.

They are very involved in our community, and their dedication is remarkable. I would like to thank all of the members and volunteers who keep the Optimist movement going and making a huge difference in the lives of our youth.

It is a privilege for me to work with them and to be part of the movement.

Status of Women

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to have Coral McMillan shadow me as one of the young women participating in Brock University's Women in the House program. This program aims to better acknowledge and increase female participation in all levels of government.

We have come a long way since Agnes Macphail was elected as the first female MP in Canada, in 1921. Today, we celebrate having Canada's first gender-based cabinet. I am proud to be one of 88 women elected to the House.

However, we still have a long way to go. Young women like Coral, and Emma and Julia Mogus from my riding, founders of Books With No Bounds and passionate advocates for our indigenous communities, must be encouraged to become leaders in government, in business, and in their communities.

Canada Post

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

Mr. Speaker, when I first heard about the plan to install community mailboxes in Rouyn-Noranda, I knew it was a bad idea.

I can now say that it was more than just a bad idea; it has been a complete disaster.

Complaints have been pouring in ever since those controversial mailboxes were installed: the sites are inappropriate or too far away; the locks and doors are freezing; some keys open more than one box; snow is getting inside the boxes; boxes are practically buried in snow due to inadequate snow removal; and the ground is icy and slippery around the boxes.

On top of all that, complaints are coming in about how hard it is to reach Canada Post's complaints department.

Given how ridiculous this whole situation is, here is a list of equally ridiculous solutions that I have heard: install heated shelters over all mailboxes; provide dogs to dig tunnels so customers can get to their boxes; build giant igloos over the boxes; or abolish winter.

The simplest solution would be to restore home delivery—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Northwest Territories.

Retirement Congratulations

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Mr. Speaker, a dedicated public servant and influential businesswoman in the Northwest Territories retired from her position as chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation last month. Nellie Cournoyea held this elected position for 20 years. Her continuing endorsement by the Inuvialuit is truly remarkable.

Nellie has many other remarkable career highlights. She was elected premier of the Northwest Territories in 1991, meaning that she holds two records: Nellie was the second female premier and the first aboriginal premier in our country.

Nellie was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada, was inducted into the Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame, and has been awarded honorary doctorates in law from Lakehead University, Carleton University, and the University of Toronto.

From the oil companies in Calgary to the boardrooms in Ottawa, and throughout the north, the single name “Nellie” commands respect and admiration.

I wish Ms. Cournoyea the best of luck and happiness in the future.

Prince Albert

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I want to get up and thank the constituents of the riding of Prince Albert for re-electing me for a third time. It is a great honour to serve the people of Prince Albert. After all, it is the riding of the great John Diefenbaker, who served from 1953 to 1979. His are big shoes to fill.

I would like to thank the people of my entire campaign team for their commitment to my re-election. I could not have done it without their support and advice. I would also like to thank my many friends and family who stood by me and gave it that extra mile to push across the finish line.

Prince Albert is a beautiful riding. It has abundance in agriculture, forestry, lakes and rivers. It truly is God's country. I am blessed to represent the people there.

Alyssa Sippley

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to tell the House about the courage of a young girl from my riding of Miramichi—Grand Lake and about the generosity of the people in her community of Baie-Sainte-Anne.

Young Alyssa Sippley's misfortune began two years ago when she was only nine years old. She developed a step throat infection and had to be transferred to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, where she underwent surgery to amputate her arms and legs and where she remained for over a year to undergo rehabilitation.

The people of the community took action. Under the leadership of Marie-Paule Thériault, a retired school teacher, they found a home owned by the RCMP that was not in use and made it accessible for young Alyssa. The entire region also donated over $150,000 in supplies and volunteer time.

This shows that, even if people in rural communities live a bit farther away from each other, they are closer in spirit than anywhere else.

Human Rights

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw the attention of the House to an outstanding initiative that I am proud to support. The Foundation for the Compulsory Study of Genocide in Schools, led my constituent, Heidi Berger, has collected over 1,200 signatures on a petition urging the Quebec government to add education about the horrors of genocide to the school curriculum across the province.

Next week, I will be accompanying the foundation to the Quebec National Assembly, where they will submit their petition.

My predecessor, Irwin Cotler, often said that the Holocaust did not begin in the concentration camps; it began with words, the ferocious anti-Jewish and racist lexicon of the Nazi regime.

It is essential that students across Canada be educated about all of the different genocides of human history in order to ensure it never again becomes a reality.

Intergovernmental Affairs

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud Albertan and I take tremendous pride in our resourceful and resilient province, a province, though, that seems to have been forgotten in the first 100 days of the current Liberal government.

I would like to take a moment to direct the Prime Minister, his government, and in particular four Liberal MPs from Alberta as to where the west is. It is that way.

The foreclosures in my constituency have real meaning and result in families uprooting their lives. People have lost their jobs, and can no longer afford to pay the bills. They cannot simply hang in there.

The hard-working constituents in Edmonton Riverbend elected me to stand up for them in the House. This is why I would like to point out that a previous Liberal prime minister was told that the west wants in. I am here to tell the current Prime Minister that the west needs in.

Northern Lights Conference

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to welcome so many people from the north and join them at the Northern Lights Conference here in Ottawa last week. The Labrador North and Baffin Regional Chambers of Commerce hosted a premier event showcasing business, industry, culture, and history in the northern regions of Nunavik, Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, and Labrador.

I was pleased to participate, along with my colleague, the member of Parliament for Nunavut, and many other colleagues in the House of Commons. I want to express my deep gratitude and thanks to the chambers for organizing a successful conference profiling the aboriginal people, resource development, and opportunities for communities in this region of the north, where beauty and opportunity know no bounds.

Health

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this being World Cancer Day, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the efforts of a remarkable man in my riding, Matt Kelso. Matt is a young man in his 20s who is now recovering from his battle with brain cancer. This has not stopped him from trying to make Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge a safer community.

We have fabulous and capable paramedics in my riding. Matt knows this all too well. The problem is that there are only two ambulances to serve the needs of 100,000 people. This is unacceptable. Matt started a petition to increase the number of ambulances because he knows that both ambulances are often busy at the same time. This can lead to long waits for those in emergency situations. He knows that the next time he calls for help, his life could depend on it. With every signature that Matt collects, he raises awareness and continues the fight to make our riding safer. I thank Matt.

World Cancer Day

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to mark World Cancer Day.

World Cancer Day unites the world's population in the fight against cancer. It aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness through education about the disease, pressing people across the world to get involved.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Canadian women, and many of us are touched by this devastating disease. Personally, my mother, Lynne, lost her battle to breast cancer in 1989 and is one of the reasons I am an ardent supporter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and host an annual fundraiser every year in my riding of Simcoe—Grey, where hundreds of local volunteers get involved.

On February 4, World Cancer Day, let us spread the word and take action against cancer.

Bill Bennett

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, historian David Mitchell describes former B.C. premier Bill Bennett as one of the most important premiers in the province's history. Sadly, Bill passed away on December 3 last year.

Elected to the B.C. legislature in 1973, he served as premier for 10 years. He was a member of Canada's Privy Council and received the Order of British Columbia.

Bill was born and raised in Kelowna, where he was a community builder and entrepreneur. His business interests eventually included real estate, the family hardware store, an appliance store, a ranch, and a sawmill.

Bill brought Expo 86, SkyTrain, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the Coquihalla Highway through B.C. and set Vancouver on course to be the world-class city it is today.

He was a family man. He was married to Audrey for 60 years. He was the father of Brad, Kevin, Stephen, and Greg, a grandfather of eight, and a proud great-grandfather as well.

Bill will be greatly missed and remembered fondly by many.

Komagatu Maru

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver 102 years ago, it was not allowed to dock in the Burrard Inlet. The government forced the ship to depart under the discriminatory Continuous Passage Act. When the ship arrived back in India, 20 passengers were killed.

The descendants of those who were on the Komagata Maru deserve closure. The community, along with the NDP, have long called for a meaningful apology, to be made in Parliament. Successive governments have failed to do so.

In 2014, at an event in Surrey organized by the Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada, the now Prime Minister promised that he would make a formal apology in Parliament within the first 90 days of the Liberal government's mandate. It has now been more than 100 days, and we are still waiting.

My motion on the order paper calls for action. I call on the government to build on the hard work of the former NDP MP Jasbir Sandhu to finally bring justice and healing to the community.

Energy East Pipeline

[Jim Hillyer, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals voted against our motion on Monday to support the energy east pipeline.

My riding of Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, in southern Alberta, has been greatly impacted by the recent downturn in the oil industry. Over 100,000 Albertans have lost their jobs. However, this is much bigger than local politics; it is about the entire Canadian economy.

This is one time when the Prime Minister does not need to favour Quebec politicians over Alberta. Quebeckers are with us. They need jobs and a stable economy too. Liberals should not talk to us about social licence. Countless Canadians desperate for work and desperate to make ends meet are all the social licence the Liberals need.

The Conservative Party will always stand up for Canada's natural resources sector. The pipeline is the most effective way, the most efficient way, and the most environmentally responsible way to get our energy resources to market. What is the holdup? The Liberals should get that pipeline going and get Albertans back to work.

World Cancer Day

[Arnold Chan, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as already noted in this House, today marks World Cancer Day. This day aims to reflect on how we can make a difference in the global fight against cancer. Cancer affects everyone in different ways.

Last year, I was also diagnosed with cancer, forcing me to take a leave from my parliamentary duties. After almost six months of treatment, and with the great support from family, friends, and colleagues in this House, I am proud to once again stand in this place.

We have the power to take various actions to reduce the impact cancer can cause individuals, families, and communities. It is a chance to reflect on what we can do, either by making a pledge or taking action.

Today I invite my colleagues to participate in the global #NoHairSelfie initiative to show their solidarity with cancer patients from all over the world. Luckily, it will not require them to actually shave their heads, as they can do so virtually with a no-hair selfie photo by using an app that is available online. This is a fun way to show our support for this cause.

Port of Québec

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, there are 8,000 jobs in the greater Quebec City area associated with the Port of Québec. The ferry terminal project and the Foulon walkway project, which our party supported during the election campaign, are important to the port's prosperity.

The Port of Québec is still waiting for an answer from the Liberal government.

Will the Prime Minister assure the people of Quebec City that he will not drag his feet and jeopardize jobs, as he is doing elsewhere in the country?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly recognize that the Port of Québec is an important port along the St. Lawrence that is part of Quebec's maritime strategy. This port plays a key role in the delivery of bulk commodities and, as my colleague mentioned, in the ferry sector. We are examining this request and will make a decision in the near future.

Natural Resources

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in Edmonton, the Prime Minister was asked a very direct question. His response, or his non-response, was very troubling, troubling to every resource worker who is laid off and all of their families that are worrying about where their next paycheque will come from.

The Prime Minister could not bring himself to say yes yesterday, so I am going to ask him here one more time. If job-creating energy projects get through his new process at the National Energy Board, will the Liberal cabinet also approve them, yes or no?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we find it pretty ironic that members on the opposite side, who were not able to get resources to tidewater over nine years, are talking about what we are trying to do.

We are looking for a way to actually get resources to tidewater. We have been very clear about this point. We are working hard to get the licence required to do that. We are convinced that our approach will make a real difference for people in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and across this country.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, here is the problem. The Prime Minister already has a record of blocking job-creating energy projects. Northern gateway was approved with 204 conditions, but then the Prime Minister killed it with his unilateral transportation ban off the west coast, so that is his record.

It would do a lot more for investor confidence and public confidence if the government would stand behind its own process.

I ask again, if new projects get through this new process, will they be approved by the Liberal government, yes or no?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the hon. member, here is the real problem. The real problem is that the Conservatives were not able to do anything over nine years getting resources to market. On what basis do they have any credibility in asking us how we are going to do it?

We are going to take an approach that is actually going to get resources to tidewater. We are going to make a difference for the people who need us to make a difference across this country, creating real economic growth through getting our resources to market.