Debates of April 11th, 2016

Jean Lapierre

[Pierre Breton, Liberal, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to Jean Lapierre, who left us far too soon under tragic circumstances on March 29.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends.

Jean Lapierre was a popular man of the people. He served as the MP for my riding of Shefford from 1979 to 1992 and was the youngest minister in the history of the House of Commons. Our paths crossed 35 years ago and he helped me to take my first steps toward politics. Jean, thank you for your sage advice, for sharing your thoughts and opinions with me, and for putting your trust in me. I will always remember you as a great friend and mentor with incredible political acumen. We had many good times together.

An optimistic man with a love for life, you always had something positive to say. You were in touch with Canadians, influential, an excellent communicator, and a tireless worker who made politics easier to understand and more accessible for people.

Farewell, Jean. You will be missed.

Foreign Affairs

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Alison Azer's four children were kidnapped and are now thought to be in Mahabad, Iran. She has been in touch with the RCMP but is extremely frustrated with the lack of response from the government. She is worried that her daughters may be subjected to female genital mutilation and that her older son may be sent to a madrassa.

We understand, based upon communications between our offices, that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is open to a meeting.

Would the minister confirm today that he will meet with Mrs. Azer?

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, the safety and well-being of the Azer family continues to be a priority of this government. As I have done before, the Minister of Foreign Affairs would be happy to meet with Ms. Azer to continue collaboration in the pursuit of the safe return of her children to Canada. Canadian consular officials and law enforcement agencies continue to work domestically and internationally with the relevant agencies to make sure that we return the kids home safely.

Taxation

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, small business owners are hard-working, middle-class Canadians, but the Liberals have betrayed them. The Liberal promise to cut taxes for small businesses has vanished into thin air.

Why is the government breaking its promise and hanging Canadian small business owners out to dry?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of budget 2016 for many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is what it will do for our economy and how much it will help small and medium-sized businesses.

We are helping the Canadian middle class by improving their situation. That is going to improve every single consumer of small and medium-sized businesses in this country. We are going to grow the economy, and that is going to make business in Canada much more successful in the future.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are spending $30 billion of borrowed money, but not a dime of it is going to small businesses. It is not a question anymore of delaying their promise to cut taxes for small businesses; now they have admitted they do not even have a timeline for it.

Is the Prime Minister ignoring small businesses because he still thinks, as he did in the election, that they are actually just ways for wealthy Canadians to cheat on taxes?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, on the celebration of Vaisakhi on the Hill, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Vaisakhi.

I want Canadians to know that small business is implicit throughout the entire budget. When it comes to small business owners, they are middle-class Canadians. The tax cut will benefit not only customers and clients but small business owners themselves. We know very well that the wealthy 1% are most likely not our small business owners.

We are here to represent them, but what members opposite need to recognize is that in this country people have views and opinions. This government is listening and is working with the entrepreneurs and the people we represent. We know what small—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.

Infrastructure

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are going to borrow $30 billion we do not have to invest in what they claim to be infrastructure projects.

However, very little of this money will be invested in roads, public transit, or the promises they made during the election campaign. In their latest budget, the Liberals spend this money on other things, on expenses that will become recurring. Canadians are now realizing that they cannot trust this government.

How can the Prime Minister explain a $30-billion deficit that he claims is for infrastructure investments, when that is not what he is spending it on? How does he explain that?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are proud to invest $120 billion over the next 10 years to build and rebuild the Canadian economy. Out of that $120 billion, $10 billion will be invested in the first two years in transit, in social infrastructure, in building roads and bridges and supporting communities throughout the country regardless of their size. This is the investment that will help us grow the economy, make our economy more productive, and build communities that are strong, sustainable, and inclusive for all Canadians to live in.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is money we already had in our plan. The former government already had a plan for $75 billion. The Liberals promised a lot, but they do not deliver. That will be delivered after 2019. They do not respect what they said in the campaign.

Furthermore, they are going to borrow $100 billion over four years. How does this government plan on returning to a balanced budget?

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

Mr. Speaker, none of the money the hon. member is talking about has been invested in the Canadian economy for the last two years. We will invest that money immediately, as well as $10 billion more on top of the Building Canada fund.

We are committed to supporting municipalities in building the critical infrastructure that is necessary to grow the economy. We will do that with additional money and we will do it by expediting the money that should have been invested in 2014 and 2015.

Ethics

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, although the Prime Minister promised a different kind of government, he has no problem with his Minister of Justice participating in a Liberal Party fundraiser at $500 a plate. However, the ministers' guide, Open and Accountable Government, is very clear: there should be no preferential access to government, or appearance of preferential access, in exchange for political contributions.

Can the Prime Minister tell us why he is not able to follow the rules that he, himself, set?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, fundraising is an activity that every member of this House engages in. Thankfully, on a federal level there are strict rules in place that determine how fundraising activities occur. We do not take donations from corporations and we do not take donations from unions.

In advance, I proactively sought the opinion of the Ethics Commissioner, to whom there was no conflict.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, with that answer it seems that sunny ways are clouding over more and more.

It seems like only yesterday that the government released ethical guidelines that state:

There should be no preferential access to government...accorded to individuals or organizations because they have made financial contributions to politicians and political parties.

Even Conservative Bev Oda, in an ethically challenged government, was caught in the same type of scandal and gave back the contributions. Why will the Minister of Justice not do the same thing?

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

Mr. Speaker, my friend opposite is obviously struggling with a very basic concept. The Liberal Party raises money in accordance with all the rules under the Canada Elections Act.

In this case my colleague, Minister of Justice, proactively reached out to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to discuss this particular event, and she indicated that it was appropriate.

That is the ethical standard that this government has raised from the previous government that was before us.

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

Mr. Speaker, the clouds are looking darker and darker on the other side.

The Panama papers gave us a glimpse into the troubling world of tax havens, and new reports raise questions about the Canada Revenue Agency's failure to act.

A senior CRA employee crossed the floor to work for KPMG while the company was under investigation for setting up a tax sham.

Why does the minister continue to defend the secret sweetheart deal for wealthy KPMG clients? How can Canadians take them seriously?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have a right to be outraged. Our government recognizes that international tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance are critical issues. We are taking meaningful action. The government has allocated more than $444 million to the CRA, to combat tax evasion and tax havens.

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

Mr. Speaker, people are outraged about the Panama papers. Multinational companies and people with connections are taking advantage of laws that were made for them, in order to shirk their responsibilities. The minister announced new measures, but there is no word on her former executive who jumped ship to go work for KPMG, at the same time that the firm was being investigated by the CRA. What a joke. Why does the minister keep defending the secret agreement for cheats?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, there have long been post-employment restrictions at the Canada Revenue Agency for executives who leave the organization. In March 2014, the post-employment restrictions were extended to all employees who leave the Canada Revenue Agency. It would be inappropriate to comment on a specific case for reasons of privacy. Hon. members can rest assured that we are following this situation at the CRA very closely.

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

Mr. Speaker, on January 18, 2014, the member for Wascana wrote to the Ethics Commissioner, asking that she investigate the former member for Saint Boniface after she attended a political fundraiser. The member for Wascana stated in his letter that “Any breach of the Conflict of Interest Code undermines the confidence that Canadians have in our elected representative....”

Given the nature of the justice minister's fundraiser this past week, how can the member complain on the one hand and then turn a blind eye to last week's Liberal fundraiser?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I take my ethical responsibilities incredibly seriously. Fundraising, as I said, is an activity that every member of the House engages in. Another reality, in terms of fundraising, is to broadly engage with the public and have discussions. I would never place myself in a conflict of interest, and that is why I proactively engaged with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner prior to attending this event.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again I rise in the House to question the justice minister on her lack of judgment. Last week, the justice minister and her ministerial policy adviser attended a pay-for-access fundraiser with Bay Street elite lawyers. While leaving the event, the minister stated she was attending the event as a regular MP, policy adviser in tow.

Does the justice minister really expect Canadians to believe that high-priced Ontario lawyers paid $500 a plate to meet with the member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I attended this event as a member of Parliament, as all members of Parliament do. My policy adviser attended as a volunteer, paid her own way, and she lives in and has—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!