House of Commons Hansard #17 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was union.
Greg Fergus LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we will allow the Competition Bureau to do its work. It does its work independently of government and will do its work in a rigorous manner. We will wait for those results.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canada is an energy rich nation, yet eastern Canadian refineries import 86% of their oil from countries like Saudi Arabia, a regime where people are sentenced to beheading for political dissent, where women are not legally able to drive; and Nigeria, where rampant corruption has led to targeted oil bombings and irreversible environmental devastation.
Why does the minister not get behind energy east, world-leading Canadian oil, and Canadian jobs?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, in the 21st century the only way to get big projects like pipelines built is to do them responsibly and sustainably. That is the hard lesson we learned from the failed approach of the members opposite, who for 10 years were unable to deliver for the province of Alberta and unable to get resources—
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Turn it over, the right answer is on the other side.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please.
I know the member for Calgary Signal Hill is enjoying this today, but we all have to restrain ourselves if we want to hear the answer to the question.
The Minister of Transport has the floor.
Marc Garneau Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to finish off, we firmly believe that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. That is the job of government in getting our resources to international markets. Only by engaging Canadians and conducting deeper consultations with indigenous people are we going to get there.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, Alberta lost nearly 22,000 full-time jobs last month. Meanwhile, the anti-energy Prime Minister spent the last two days there posing for photo ops without actually meeting workers in the field. He should come to Lakeland.
When asked if his government would support the energy east pipeline if it passes through the NEB process, he would not give a straight answer. We have heard enough empty promises and meaningless platitudes.
Why is the Prime Minister always finding new ways to say no to good-paying, blue-collar Canadian jobs?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we know that the only party in the House that has failed Albertans is the Conservative Party. It coasted through 10 years of high oil prices and just could not deliver.
We are going to deliver, but we are going to do it by taking into account the fact that we can develop our economy while being respectful of our environment. That is the approach we are taking, an intelligent, scientifically based approach. That is the proper approach for this government to take.
Randall Garrison NDP Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC
Mr. Speaker, on page 71 of their platform, the Liberals promised that if they became the government, they would “end Canada's combat mission in Iraq”.
Unfortunately, not only has the government failed to end the bombing missions, it has refused to tell the House what its plan is and whether it is actually planning to extend the military mission.
Canadians deserve answers and Canadians deserve to have their say.
Will the government commit now to hold a debate and vote on our military's future role in Iraq and Syria, yes or no?
John McKay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to remind the hon. member that there was an election. In the election, the Prime Minister's position was very clear. The position of the former prime minister was very clear, and Canadians made a very clear choice. The very clear choice was to give this government a mandate to refashion that mission, which all of the ministers and the Prime Minister are engaged in while refashioning the mission into one that is acceptable to Canadians. That will be produced in due course.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative-initiated bombing mission against ISIL is coming to an end in just a few weeks.
However, the current government has still not announced its plan for the future, and it is sending conflicting messages. It is not even able to answer a simple, fundamental question, which I want to ask the Minister of National Defence.
Will the new mission be subject to a debate and vote in the House, as it should be, yes or no?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I would love to talk to my colleague about the plan once it is made public.
As Canadians, we will be proud of our country's role in bravely combatting terrorism, with a plan that will be integrated and will bring together all the elements needed to be successful. It will involve the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of International Development, the Prime Minister, and myself, since I will try to do my part.
John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB
Mr. Speaker, this morning the jobs report was released. It does not look good for anyone under the Liberal government. Twenty-two thousand full-time jobs were lost in Alberta in January alone. Our unemployment rate in Alberta has reached 7.4%, the first time since 1988 that it has been higher than the Canadian average.
Things are only going to get worse. It is predicted that Alberta's unemployment rate will exceed 8% by the end of 2016. The Liberals' no-energy program is killing Alberta.
When will the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour finally come up with a strategy that will help Alberta's unemployed get back to work?
MaryAnn Mihychuk LiberalMinister of Employment
Mr. Speaker, as members of the House know, we have been working on modernizing the EI system to try to respond to those very people who are losing their jobs because of this crisis in the natural resources sector. The best opportunity for the unemployed is actually—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. It is Friday and we are looking forward to getting home. Let us listen up so we can get through this. Let us all pay attention and show respect for each other.
The hon. Minister of Employment has the floor.
MaryAnn Mihychuk Liberal Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Mr. Speaker, I could not hear myself think because it was so noisy on the other side.
The best opportunity that we have to take care of unemployed people is a robust economy, and that is exactly what we are going to do with the infrastructure investments that will be rolling out very soon.
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, January through March is the peak season in the oil patch, but instead of working hard to provide for their families, western Canadians are now contemplating what they are going to do when their EI benefits run out. Yesterday, the Prime Minister refused to commit to anything until his anti-energy budget comes down, but the crisis is now and action is needed immediately.
I have to ask, is the Prime Minister simply refusing to acknowledge there is a need or is he just absolutely unaware of it?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary. Our Prime Minister is very much aware of it. That is why he was in Alberta for two days this week. He is also aware that there are challenges in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. When he met with the Premier of Alberta, he undertook to fast-track $700 million worth of infrastructure. That is showing understanding.
He also said that Alberta would be eligible for the fiscal stabilization fund that is available when a province goes through a particular difficulty due to the lowering of the oil price. So we do care and we are taking action right now.
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Mr. Speaker, as the deputy critic for rural affairs, I am concerned with the direction the government is going in. Instead of standing up and supporting all Canadians, the government is pitting rural communities against urban centres. It is signalling that infrastructure funds are to be spent entirely in big cities. Rural Canada is the backbone of our nation. The energy used to heat our homes, the wood used to build our houses, and the food we all eat is produced in rural Canada.
Will the infrastructure minister please explain why his priorities seem to leave rural Canada in the cold?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous government, we are going to live up to the commitment that we made to all Canadians, regardless of where they live. We have committed to invest in public transit, we have committed to invest $20 billion in social infrastructure, and we have committed to invest $20 billion in green infrastructure. All communities are going to benefit from those investments, regardless of where they are situated.
Ron Liepert Conservative Calgary Signal Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, we will see if the government can live up to this commitment.
During the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised that we would have a slight budget deficit over the next couple of years to fund infrastructure, but then by the end of the mandate in 2019, the budget would be balanced. However, standing in the House the other day, the Minister of Finance said the government would work towards “a balanced budget by the end of our mandate”.
I ask the Minister of Finance, is this another in the string of broken promises of the government?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the previous government left us with a $150 billion in additional debt for our country.
We will continue to invest and grow our economy, but we will follow three key principles. That is what we said during the campaign and that is what we will do. We will continue to have a debt-to-GDP ratio on a downward track, we will be fiscally prudent in how we invest our money, and we will get back to a balanced budget by the end of our term. That is what we said and that is what we are going to do.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to restore good faith with Canada's public servants. While the Liberals have brought real change to the rhetoric of government, we are waiting for real change in the actions of government. The new government promised to repeal the Conservatives' sick leave legislation, but then it showed up this week at the bargaining table and put the exact same Conservative offer on the table.
We are wondering this. When are the Liberals going to bring a deal to the table that reflects their promises in the election?
Scott Brison LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, our government is working hard to re-establish a culture of respect for Canada's fine public service. We will negotiate in good faith with our public service and we will respect the independence of those negotiations. Unlike the Conservatives, we will not toxify those negotiations by attacking the public service on a continual basis gratuitously.
There is an opportunity to modernize sick leave benefits in a way that is fair to members of the public service in a time when we have inherited a tough fiscal situation from the previous government.