Debates of April 12th, 2016

The Budget

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

Budget 2016 proposes a new approach. In recent years, fewer and fewer Canadians have reaped the benefits of economic growth.

Although household spending continues to grow, most families have seen virtually no increase in their income over the past 30 years. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for families to make ends meet.

With Canadians’ decreasing ability to pay for their children’s education, care needed for their aging parents, and their own retirement, they are wondering whether there is still any reality to the promise of progress in Canada.

In electing a new government, millions of Canadians expressed their desire for change. We have offered Canadians an ambitious new plan to create long-term economic growth by increasing people’s disposable income and stimulating infrastructure projects.

Canada’s financial situation is quite solid. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of any G7 country, and that gives us the necessary flexibility to make strategic investments today that will grow tomorrow’s economy. Now is the ideal time to invest: interest rates have never been so low.

This budget targets the middle class and Canadian families. It also offers immediate assistance to those most in need of it: seniors, youth, the unemployed, veterans, and indigenous peoples.

Overall, this budget increases the disposable income of the entire population by reducing taxes on the middle class, and the Canada child benefit will lift almost 300,000 children out of poverty.

We will be raising the guaranteed income supplement for 900,000 low-income seniors. In addition, to grow the economy and create jobs, the government will be investing $11.9 billion in infrastructure.

We believe that a healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. The budget proposes strategic investments in clean technologies and concrete measures to mitigate the causes and effects of climate change.

This budget has three major impacts for Quebec. First, the major transfers will total $21.4 billion in 2016-17, an increase of $1 billion over the previous fiscal year; there is $10 billion through equalization payments, an increase of $509 million over the previous fiscal year; there is $8.3 billion through the Canada health transfer, an increase of $456 million over the previous fiscal year; there is $3.1 billion through the Canada social transfer, an increase of $84 million over the previous fiscal year; and all that is for Quebec.

Second, it promotes French culture. The government will support major national institutions to protect the two official languages, and it will promote industries that showcase Canadian culture. As part of this effort to fulfill CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate, there is an additional $675 million over five years.

Third, the budget restores the labour-sponsored venture capital corporation tax credit to 15% for stock purchases.

It also contains opportunities that may apply to the riding of Saint-Jean. For cities and municipalities, the budget continues to provide about $3 billion a year in funding for municipal infrastructure projects through the gas tax fund and the incremental GST rebate for municipalities.

For the Saint-Jean CEGEP and the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, it helps universities and colleges to train highly skilled workers, serve as engines of discovery, and support the growth of innovative businesses.

Budget 2016 provides up to $2 billion over three years for strategic projects to improve research and innovation infrastructure. For the Horticulture Research and Development Centre, it includes an investment of $70 million to expand agricultural research and upgrade agricultural research laboratories.

For highway 35 and federal infrastructure, the budget provides $3.4 billion over five years to support the construction, repair, and reconditioning of federal infrastructure assets across the country, including investments in transportation and border infrastructure. This last point is directly related to highway 35.

For the Centre d’aide aux entreprises Haute-Montérégie, the budget enhances the mentoring services, networking opportunities, and business development advice provided by business accelerators and incubators. Budget 2016 states that the government will work with stakeholders to develop a performance measurement framework for business accelerators and incubators in Canada.

With regard to the Internet, the budget includes $500 million to extend high-speed Internet access to hundreds of rural and remote communities. This is what the Minister of Finance came to Saint-Valentin, the village of love, in the riding of Saint-Jean, to announce.

To manage flooding, the budget proposes to provide up to $19.5 million over five years to the International Joint Commission, to enable Canada to match U.S. funding to study the flooding and the variable water levels and water quality that affect Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River.

With regard to the International de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the budget allocates $50 million over two years to Destination Canada to strengthen marketing initiatives in important international markets, such as the United States and China.

For management of the canal promenade in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and enhancement of Fort Lennox in Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, the budget provides for new investment to support the expansion and enhancement of Canada’s protected areas, including national parks and national tourist waterways.

For the churches of Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu and L'Acadie, the budget enhances the national historic sites cost-sharing program by providing $20 million over two years to Parks Canada.

In conclusion, our plan is reasonable and affordable. Yes, we are going to close the fiscal year with a deficit. Part of that deficit, $16 billion, derives from the situation we inherited before making our decisions on this budget, and we have invested $13 billion in order to meet our election commitments.

By the end of our first mandate, Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio will be lower than it is today. This budget gives priority to people and offers Canadians the support they need right now. However we are not talking about the present only, far from it. This is an essential stage that is part of a sustained, strategic effort to restore prosperity and optimism in Canada.

We are looking to the future with confidence, because we are putting in place today the policies that will enable the vast majority of Canadians to benefit from more opportunities in the future, better jobs, communities that are better connected and more environmentally friendly, and more money, which they will be free to use as they see fit.

The people of the riding of Saint-Jean have already begun to reap the benefits of our budget commitments. In the months ahead, we will continue to improve the daily lives of the people there.

We promised to do everything we can to help every Canadian succeed. Budget 2016 is a crucial part of fulfilling our commitments.

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the first comments my colleague made was about care for elderly parents. In the election campaign the Liberals promised $3 billion in funding for home care for seniors. Where are those funds? They are absolutely nowhere to be seen in this budget.

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I think that my colleague missed part of my speech and part of the budget, because we are going to provide seniors with a guaranteed income supplement that will be increased by 10%. This will affect 900,000 seniors in Canada. This is an important step that will provide more disposable income for this whole group of people.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Saint-Jean on his speech. I am aware of his affection for Saint-Jean and the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. I encourage him to pursue his efforts, and I would like to assure him of my support in this regard.

Clearly, the excellent Conservative government left public finances in a surplus situation. The Liberals promised us a modest deficit of $10 billion. We left them a surplus, and now, we are going to end up with a deficit of $30 billion.

How did we go from a $10-billion deficit to a $30-billion deficit? Basically, why are Canadians being cheated, when the people who voted for the Conservatives did not want a deficit and those who voted for the New Democrats this time did not want a deficit? People wanted a small deficit, and now we have a big one.

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague for his question, which I was awaiting impatiently.

If I may, I would like to go back a bit and remind him that in 1997, when the Liberals came to power, we had had deficits. Finance minister Martin, whom I can name, since it is in the past, was able to pay off $81 billion. With the Liberals, when it comes to paying off deficits, we apply the Keynesian method. When things are going well, we pay it off. When things are not going so well, Keynes says we have to spend. It is important to keep in mind that during the last election campaign, we were in a recession, and Keynes, I repeat, says that we have to spend when that is the case.

We should also keep in mind perhaps that after the era of Liberal finance minister Martin, we had an average deficit of $20 billion under the Conservative government, as the Green Party member pointed out earlier. That is a great deal of money. After that, we had a so-called balanced budget. However, we see that we ended the year with a $16-billion deficit. It is important to remember that to achieve the so-called balanced budget, the government took $3 billion from the reserve fund and sold off the GM shares at the fire sale price of $2.5 billion.

There are no lessons to be learned. We have a plan to create long-term economic growth and pay off the deficit when the economy is back on its feet. We have given ourselves the tools to do so.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, there are all sorts of assistance for heritage in the budget. The member does a great job representing a wonderful, historic part of Canada. Could he tell us how this increase in heritage and other projects is helpful for that and how that will go into small business?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We are very proud to be reinvesting in culture. The cultural industry is important. Someone mentioned investments in small business and large corporations. That is an important sector, but there is more to it than that. The cultural industry is our identity. It belongs to us and makes our country what it is. This gives hope to all Canadians that our culture will continue to thrive.

For Quebeckers in particular, it is important that we promote French all across Canada, which will also help ensure our survival. We need the two million francophones who live outside Quebec, because they help us promote our language and ensure our survival. That is the best means we have. I have always said that after Bill 101, CBC/Radio-Canada is the vehicle that ensures our survival.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to budget 2016. This being my first speech in the House, I would like to thank the great people of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour for placing their trust in me as their representative. It is an absolute honour, and one that I take extremely seriously. I thank the many folks who worked tirelessly through the long nomination campaign, and of course the 78-day election campaign.

I also want to thank my incredible staff, both here in Ottawa and at home in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. I also need to thank my amazing family, my wife Anne, Bruen, Ava, and our puppy dog Tobey. We are still learning and adjusting to working in Ottawa while living in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. It has been a challenge. I cannot thank them nearly enough for their patience, understanding, and day-to-day perseverance while dad tries to fit as much as he can into his day. The next step in the learning curve will be scheduling some time in the gym.

I was also pleased to join my friend, the member for Halifax, in welcoming the Minister of Finance when he made Halifax his first stop on his cross-country consultation for this budget. A group of Nova Scotia MPs were fortunate to join him at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and at Dalhousie University where, at both venues, the minister engaged with stakeholders, students, and the community.

This budget is not just about money. This budget is about people. We are seeing a transformative plan for investments in our families, communities, veterans, and clean sustainable infrastructure. Nova Scotia will be far better off than it has been in many years, thanks to budget 2016. With this budget, Nova Scotia will see a total of $3.1 billion in major federal transfers in 2016-17. As a province, it will receive $1.7 billion through equalization, $943 million through the Canada health transfer, and $349 million through the Canada social transfer.

Before becoming a member of Parliament, I spent six years on city council. I was well aware of how desperate my region was for a partnership with the federal government. Long-stalled projects like the Burnside expressway need a voice in the House, and I will be that voice.

This budget delivers $32 million to Nova Scotia municipalities for public transit. As the mayor and my friend Mike Savage said about the budget, “The government is very well aware of municipal needs, and have been very supportive” and “investing in infrastructure is good news for our economy”.

During the campaign, I did my best to knock on every door in my riding. Repeatedly, parents told me that they need more money in their pockets, more money for kids' recreation, such as hockey, baseball, soccer, and paddling on Dartmouth's amazing Lake Banook.

This budget builds on our campaign promise to strengthen the middle class. When we have a solid middle class working and contributing to our economy and communities, everyone benefits. We are putting money back into the pockets of middle-class Canadians. We are making it so that more parents can afford to put their kids in sports and arts through the middle-class tax cut and the Canada child benefit.

With the Canada child benefit, families in Nova Scotia will receive $255 million more in child benefits between 2016 and 2018. That is a significant investment in our families. It will help to lift thousands of children in my area out of poverty, and it is tax free, more help for those who need help more.

In Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, there are numerous veterans and military families. Veterans deserve the long-term financial stability that our budget will provide. I am proud to say that we are working to remove the red tape that makes it hard for veterans to obtain proper in-person government services. As a member of the national defence committee, I recently had the opportunity to question the defence minister about transitioning our servicemen and women to veterans, and how we can better care for them. The defence minister assured everyone that he is collaborating closely with the Minister of Veterans Affairs to achieve a seamless transition from service to veteran. It is about working together, and that collaboration is something I am seeing between our caucus and cabinet every day.

This budget provides Nova Scotia with over $78 million in new funding over five years for our veterans.

As someone who has served as a member of the environment committee federally and municipally, I am heartened to see an investment of $5 billion nationally for green infrastructure spending, for clean water and waste water infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations, and other clean technology. I am proud to say that we are also making admission to Canada's national parks free in 2017.

We have a high number of seniors who are finding it harder each year to make ends meet. Our government will follow through on its pledge to roll back the age in which seniors can access their OAS and GIS from 67 to 65. We will boost that GIS for thousands of low-income seniors, Nova Scotian seniors, many of whom are women.

Dartmouth—Cole Harbour will see investments in social infrastructure funding for seniors homes, affordable housing, and child care centres, much needed and way overdue.

I want to touch on what our government has committed to for small business. Budget 2016 supports Canada's innovators and entrepreneurs. It gives them the help they need to access expertise, identify new markets, and scale up for future growth.

I want members to come to downtown Dartmouth and see how local small business entrepreneurs have revitalized our downtown Dartmouth core. If an individual walks down to the Alderney Market on Saturday morning, they will pass numerous new businesses: Bodega Boutique, Sugar Shok, Two If By Sea, The Dart Gallery, New Scotland Clothing Company, and many, many more.

Small businesses are the backbone of our community, and I spent over 20 years in the family business. When I was in business, the number one thing that small business owners needed was customers with money in their pockets. This is what will drive our economy. Budget 2016 does just that for Canadians.

I have thrown a lot of figures out there, but I want to re-emphasize the point that this budget is more about people than numbers. Budget 2016 puts people first, and delivers the help that Canadians need now. It is an essential step to restoring prosperity to the middle class. It reflects a new approach for the government, one that offers immediate help to those who need it most, and sets the course for growth for all Canadians.

Like all members of this House, I am extremely proud of my community. I am proud of its successes, from Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, to Craig Blake, who gave his life for his country.

I am proud of our amazing waterfront and our beautiful Shubenacadie Canal system, miles and miles of trails in Shubie Park, and the saltmarsh trails in Cole Harbour.

I could not be more proud of our young entrepreneurs opening shops on every corner, our festivals, and our events. I am proud of events like the Epic Canadian road race, and the International SEDMHA hockey tournament, the largest hockey tournament in Atlantic Canada. These are true Dartmouth success stories.

I am proud that our citizens have named two of our most recent newest harbour ferries after soldiers who died serving their country.

Budget 2016 is an ambitious, long-term plan to strengthen the heart of Canada's economy, the middle class.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will start with more of a comment.

In the last election, the Liberals promised to accumulate no more $25 billion in debt over the next four years. Yet, this budget completely blows that out of the water, by a magnitude of some 300%, by proposing to borrow some $100 billion over the next four years.

Can the member opposite explain such a huge discrepancy, in light of the fact that in the last six months we have not had a radical change in our economic outlook?

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

Mr. Speaker, if nothing changed but the price of a barrel of oil going from $104 to $40, there is $15 billion in the coffers gone right there.

The member has a lot more experience than I do, and I will fully admit I have a lot to learn, but what I learned by knocking on 22,000 doors was that the good folks of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour wanted change. They were tired of cuts to things like CBC, to social programs, and to our cities. They wanted to see an investment in their people, in their youth, in their country, and that is what they voted for in October.

[Wayne Stetski, NDP, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his speech. He has much to be proud of in his riding. However, I would like to bring him back to October 13, 2015 during the election. His party stated:

To help close the funding gap and improve outcomes for First Nations students, we will invest new funding each year in core funding for kindergarten through grade 12 programs. This will include money committed by Stephen Harper that has yet to flow, plus an additional $300 million per year in incremental funding, totalling $750 million per year by the end of our first mandate. Over the next four years, this represents a $2.6 billion new investment in helping First Nations students learn and succeed.

How does the member reconcile the fact that his government extended the funding timeline by an extra year for first nations, to five years, resulting in a $800-million shortfall in comparison to the party's initial promise?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Before we go to the hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, I will remind hon. members that even when another hon. member's name is included in a quote or citation, it is still in the realm of mentioning another hon. member's name. We try to avoid that by switching up the quote and substituting the hon. member for whatever riding.

The hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said, before I was an MP, I was a regional councillor for six years. I was one vote. I had to work with people across the room. All of the folks in that room wanted the best things for their communities. They knew there was hard work to be done, that there were lots of things to be done.

There are lots of things to be done in this House. We are going to work together to do these things and make Canada a better place.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member touched on a number of very important investments by the government. I share his opinion. I thought it was a tremendous budget, and key investments have been made in many different areas.

He sells himself short. He has had a distinguished career as a councillor in the Halifax region representing the people of Dartmouth. I was proud of the fact that the people of Dartmouth showed support for him when he put his name forward federally. I know he is going to make a great contribution to this place.

Beyond the numbers of the budget, what he indicated during his speech was that key investments were made, with veterans, municipalities, first nations community. You only have to pick an area. I believe it comes back to the fact that now Canadians have a government that is willing to engage. It is willing to talk about the priorities.

When he is out and about and meeting with community groups, is he getting that same sense that after 10 long, dark years, there is finally a government representing the people of the country who is willing to listen to the views, the problems, the concerns, and the potential solutions?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is heartwarming to talk to a mother from Dartmouth north or east who has two children who have never been in organized sport. These are kids who are unable to do much more than shoot hoops in the local park. The Canada child benefit is going to put money in the pockets of these families that will allow them to do that for the first time.

[An hon. member]

What about the sports and fitness credit?

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

Mr. Speaker, we can talk about boutique tax credits, but if they do not have $680 to pay for novice hockey in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia today, that $90 tax credit means nothing. This child benefit will put the money in the pockets of those folks, who will be able to put their kids in soccer, or baseball, or hockey. They will be able to spend based on the priorities of that family, and that is something that is resonating with constituents in my riding.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the member for Brampton Centre. I am very pleased to rise in the House to take part in this important debate on budget 2016, a historic budget for Canadians. I rise to speak not only in my capacity as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, but above all as the member of Parliament for Québec.

I want to take a moment to thank some key people in my personal life and in my journey to the Parliament of Canada. I want to begin by thanking my family, whose support is crucial to me in this wonderful adventure that is my political life. I want to thank Marie-Chantal, Étienne, Clémence, and Antoine for their love and support day in and day out.

I also want to thank the voters in my riding of Québec who placed their trust in me on October 19. Over the years this riding has seen some great names in Canadian politics. I am thinking of some of my predecessors who were members for the current riding of Québec: the Right Hon. Wilfrid Laurier, who was the Liberal member from 1877 to 1911, the Right Hon. Louis St-Laurent, who was the Liberal member from 1941 to 1958, and more recently the Hon. Jean Marchand, who was the Liberal member from 1965 to 1983. I also want to salute the Hon. Gilles Lamontagne, the Liberal member from 1977 to 1983. I am particularly grateful for his invaluable advice, and I want to wish him, a little in advance since the occasion is next Sunday, a very enjoyable 97th birthday with his family and friends. It is my sincere hope that I shall be equal to the honour bestowed upon me by my constituents and that I will be a good representative of their interests in the House.

Budget 2016 has numerous positive impacts on many aspects of my portfolio as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. For example, putting off to 67 the age of eligibility for federal pensions was a decision that unfortunately was imposed by the previous government without proper study. This lack of scientific and social sensitivity was one of my biggest motivations for making the leap into active political life.

On this subject, together with my former colleagues Nicolas-James Clavet, Steve Marchand, and Bernard Fortin, I had the opportunity to produce a study that was published last fall in the Canadian Tax Journal. I want to emphasize the excellent work done by my former colleagues and assure them that they have been heard.

That study drew three main conclusions. The first was that putting off the eligibility age to 67 would have caused the most vulnerable seniors in our society to lose up to $13,000 because of the reform. The second was that this reform would have caused 20% of the poorest seniors concerned to lose 35% of their income and 20% of the richest seniors to lose 5% of their income. The third conclusion was that 100,000 seniors would have been plunged into poverty, raising the poverty rate of seniors aged 65 and 66 from 6% to 17%. In other words, this reform would have most penalized those seniors least able to adapt to these kinds of cuts.

The Government of Canada has to support middle-class Canadians and Canadians who are working very hard to join the middle class. To do this, budget 2016 provides for total funding of $3.4 billion over two years for social infrastructure, that is, affordable housing, early learning and child care, cultural and recreational infrastructure, and community health care facilities on reserves. To increase access to affordable housing, budget 2016 proposes specifically to invest $2.3 billion over two years starting in 2016-17. Furthermore, nearly $740 million will be invested in housing in indigenous, Inuit, and northern communities.

To address the high demand for affordable housing across the country, we need to double federal investments under the investment in affordable housing initiative, which represents an additional amount of more than $500 million over two years.

Moreover, budget 2016 includes, first, nearly $200 million over two years in support for the construction, repair, and adaptation of affordable housing for our seniors, which should improve living and housing conditions for more than 5,000 low-income households. Second, the budget includes nearly $575 million over two years in funding for energy improvement, water saving, and social housing renovation projects. Third, nearly $90 million over the next two years is allocated to the construction and renovation of shelters and transition houses for victims of family violence. This unprecedented investment will lead to the creation and renovation of more than 3,000 spaces in off-reserve shelters.

Budget 2016 also includes $30 million over two years to help non-profit housing providers and federally administered housing co-ops maintain rent geared to income for households living in social housing at the end of their operating agreements.

We are also making new investments of more than $550 million over two years to meet immediate housing needs in first nations communities and to renovate and upgrade existing housing units.

An additional amount of more than $10 million will be provided over three years to support the construction of new shelters for women and children who are victims of violence in first nations communities.

Meeting the substantial housing needs and challenges in the north is another important facet of our new social infrastructure fund. Building and renovating housing units is more complex and more expensive in the north than in other parts of Canada. Budget 2016 reflects that reality. It provides funding of nearly $180 million over two years to improve access to suitable, affordable housing for northern residents.

To encourage the construction of affordable rental housing, we will also provide Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation with nearly $210 million over five years to establish an affordable rental housing innovation fund.

The innovation fund will be used to test innovative approaches to reduce the costs and risks of financing affordable rental housing projects. This funding is expected to help create up to 4,000 affordable rental housing units.

Canadian homeowners want to protect their investment. Unfortunately, over the past few years, families in some regions of Quebec have run into serious structural problems because of the presence of pyrrhotite in the foundation of their home. To help those families, the Canadian government is providing up to $30 million over three years, starting in 2016-17.

Homelessness is a reality for too many Canadians and a serious challenge for too many communities. To help homeless Canadians find stable housing, we would invest an additional $110 million over two years in the homelessness partnering strategy. This represents an increase of 50% in that strategy, which is the first increase since 1999. This investment would give communities the support they need to prevent and reduce homelessness, develop better emergency response services, and offer enhanced support to youth, women fleeing violence, and veterans.

High-quality affordable child care is not just a priority but a necessity for many Canadian families. The time has come to work collaboratively with provinces, territories, and indigenous peoples on a new national framework on early learning and childcare.

Budget 2016 would provide $500 million in 2017-18 to deliver on this framework, of which $100 million would be for indigenous early learning and child care on and off reserve.

Budget 2016 proposes to provide $29 million over the next year for urgent repairs and renovations of the facilities used by the aboriginal head start on reserve program and the first nations and Inuit child care initiative.

In conclusion, our government has chosen to take real action now, by making investments that will have a quick and significant impact on Canadian families.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the House to support our government's budget 2016 and thereby support the middle class and the families who are working hard to join the middle class.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister and hon. member for Québec, which is next to my riding, Louis-Saint-Laurent.

I listened closely to what he had to say. On this side of the House, we have no problem with the government giving money to parents. That is what we did, especially with the UCCB. However, the difference is that we provided this benefit at no cost; in other words, there was no deficit. This is very important, because this comes from two different visions. The budget gives families money that we do not have. There is a $30-billion deficit. We are giving money to help our children, but they are the ones who are going to have to pay that money back one day.

How does the government explain that it is being very generous to families, but that our children and grandchildren will have to pay the bill, because we do not have the money right now?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent for his question, comments, and advice. He has given us a lot of advice, which the members on this side of the House appreciate, particularly those who have less experience than he does.

I would like to say two things. Budget 2016 focuses on economic growth and support for the middle class. That is exactly what the measures in the budget do. They provide immediate assistance and will have a significant long-term impact on the future of Canadians, particularly the future of our young people, who, over the past few years, have been having a lot of difficulty entering the workforce, raising a family, and supporting their children.

Not only does the budget give quick, immediate, and significant help to families, particularly those in the middle class, but it also helps us to move forward toward an economy of innovation, science, and development, or in order words, a sustainable economy.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It being 5:41 p.m., pursuant to an order made on Monday, April 11 the question on the amendment is deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Wednesday, April 13, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions.

The House will now proceed to the consideration of private members' business as listed on today's order paper.

Canada Labour Code

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

moved that Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers), be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to begin the debate on the bill to amend the Canada Labour Code.

This enactment amends the Canada Labour Code to make it an offence for employers to hire replacement workers to perform the duties of employees who are on strike or locked out.

In other words, the bill seeks to prohibit replacement workers, commonly known as scabs, at the federal level. Passing this bill would send a clear message to workers across the country that they have the right to bargain collectively as equals.

The NDP thinks it is important to promote workers' rights. I am introducing this long-overdue bill in my role as the deputy labour critic and on behalf of the progressive opposition.

In Canada, over 12,000 businesses and 820,000 workers are governed by the Canada Labour Code. We have been putting this measure forward for the past 10 years.

However, workers were clearly not a priority for the previous government. We were therefore not surprised that it rejected this measure. Today, we sincerely hope that the Liberal government will be open to this measure.

This bill will amend and modernize the Canada Labour Code in order to prohibit employers from hiring strikebreakers to do the work of employees in the event of a strike or lockout.

In other words, we want to put in place, at the federal level, the same types of provisions that already exist in some provinces, such as Quebec and British Columbia.

We also included a “Québecor clause” in the changes to the Canada Labour Code. Members will recall the events that occurred in Quebec during a Journal de Québec lockout, when the company took advantage of a loophole in the regrettable Quebec law on strikebreakers and continued to print the paper during the lockout.

The Court of Appeal sided with Québecor and ruled that the Quebec law did not prohibit telework. It is important to modernize the Canada Labour Code in order to prevent the use of replacement workers through telework.

We also added the use of other establishments to do the work of the bargaining unit that is on strike or locked out.

In my riding, Jonquière, I have seen a number of labour disputes. In a given year, there are labour conflicts right across Canada, but in my former capacity, I saw some in the riding of Jonquière.

It is tough to see workers who want to negotiate with their employer, because it is truly difficult. Renewing a collective agreement can create tension on both sides.

However, when the legal provisions ensure that we negotiate as equals, that establishes a balance of power. This ensures that both the employer and the workers can negotiate in good fath, and that is critically important.

Many stakeholders are calling for and supporting this bill.

Mark Hancock, the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said:

CUPE welcomes this legislation, which would give employers more incentive to sit down and negotiate with workers and could lead to fewer and shorter strikes and lockouts.

In recent years, since we are seeing fewer strikes and more lockouts, it has become more common, during the course of negotiations, for employers to no longer want to negotiate while the employees are locked out. This legislation would help prompt employers to negotiate, because they can no longer hire other workers while the employees are locked out. It is therefore extremely important to negotiating as equals.

Another union president, Mike Palecek, president of CUPW, joined us at our press conference to support the bill. During the presentation, he pointed out the importance of promoting free collective bargaining and the fact that using replacement workers undermines labour relations.

Ken Neumann, the national director of the United Steelworkers, issued a press release on February 25 that states, “The Steelworkers union welcomes these changes to the Canada Labour Code. If passed, this law will stop the unfairness of employers using replacement workers during strikes and lockouts. Thanks to the NDP for once again introducing this bill that will benefit workers and employers and contribute to our nation’s productivity”.

It is important to know that this change to the Canada Labour Code, regarding both teleworking and preventing the use of replacement workers inside as well as outside the facility, is important to bargaining. This does not poison the debate, but can at least help to ensure negotiations occur on an equal footing.

I always enjoy giving a little reminder to anyone who still does not see the reason for the union movement. I want to point out a few things.

It is thanks to unions and the labour movement that we now have a minimum wage, paid overtime, occupational safety standards, parental and maternity leave, paid vacation, and protection from discrimination and sexual harassment.

Unions work hard every day to stand up for those hard-fought rights and to continue winning new rights for all workers.

Our unions are social unions that focus not only on the benefits that can be gained from collective bargaining, but also on the victories that can be achieved in the interest of society as a whole. For example, they fight to put an end to child labour or to ensure that an employee injured at work gets compensation through workers' compensation. They fight for public pensions and social programs that help people contribute to work, such as health care and child care services.

Although workers have made progress in the past few decades, a great deal of injustice remains. That is why starting with a small step and changing and updating the Canada Labour Code is important to me and the NDP.

We voted on a pay equity motion moved here in the House by the NDP not so long ago.

I thank all parties here in the House for supporting that motion, but I am disappointed that we are still fighting for pay equity in 2016.

At this time of economic slowdown, I think it is worth mentioning that the World Bank has found that a high rate of unionization leads to greater income equality, lower unemployment and inflation, higher productivity, and a quicker response to economic downturns.

Speaking of equality, or rather inequality, I believe it is important to point out that there is a major problem in our society when the wealthiest 1% now possess more wealth than the rest of the world put together and the wealthiest 62 people on earth own as much as the poorest 3.6 billion people.

The Panama papers also reveal a strategy for massive tax avoidance.

In the end, it is not up to workers to pay the government back for all the money taken by major corporations, money that belonged to Canadians.

If I were asked whether we could better protect workers' right to negotiate their collective agreement and working conditions in a fair manner and as equals, I believe that the answer would be “yes”.

Not only can we protect workers' rights, but we can look to those who belong to the 1% to pay what is owed to the government in taxes. Protecting the right to negotiate is one aspect of the notion that we can build a fairer and more equal society. That is good for the economy, workers, and their families.

In my riding, one labour conflict went on for three years. During that time, families wound up homeless and broken. There were many separations, and we saw people who were completely lost and did not know where to turn. No one wants those kinds of conflicts. That is why we have to amend the Canada Labour Code so that we have a fair and equitable negotiation process.

The labour code can be improved based on the standards set in Quebec and British Columbia. We can ensure that people who are put out on the streets because of a lockout or strike during a period of negotiations will not have to worry. They will know that if the employer locks them out, no one will be hired to do the work in their place, often for lower wages.

The NDP knows that it is essential that both parties are respected when negotiations are taking place. The company and the workers must both be respected. We want to ensure that the parties meet as equals during negotiations.

It is simply unfair for employers to hire replacement workers to undermine workers' ability to exercise their rights, since the company continues to produce and make money. That is unfair to the workers who have been locked out.

We believe that the bargaining rights of workers who are on strike or have been locked out should not be undermined. That is really important. I hope that members of the House will understand the importance of modernizing the Canada Labour Code. It is 2016. We can and must do something for both companies and workers.

The option to use telework if more than one establishment is on strike or lockout does not allow for negotiation between equals. I hope that my colleagues here in the House will understand that it is vitally important to amend the Canada Labour Code.

I hope that my colleagues will support this bill, since over the past 14 years, some of them have introduced similar bills to amend the Canada Labour Code. I hope that the bill will make it to second reading, that we will examine it in committee, and that we will be able to modernize the Canada Labour Code.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I respect my colleague's passionate plea for the modernization of the Canada Labour Code. It is important that the code reflect a modern workforce in the situation in which we find ourselves here in this country.

The member asked for the support of the House, but the House has learned especially over the course of the last four years under Conservative rule that if we are going to change the Canada Labour Code, it has to be done under a tripartite, consensus-building process, one that has been accepted over the years. In the last four years we have heard loud and clear from the two major stakeholders in the labour code, the CLC and FETCO.

I would like to read into the record comments from Hassan Yussuff, the president of the CLC under testimony against C-377 and C-525. He said, “We urge the federal government to stop the introduction of one-off changes to the Canada Labour Code. Amendments should not be made through private members' bills.

John Farrell of FETCO said, “This critical consultation process is completely bypassed when changes to the labour relations regime are proposed through a mechanism of one-off private members' bills.”

The member's own colleague, Wayne Marston, the former member from Hamilton, said that he believes it is irresponsible for a government to allow private members' bills to amend the Canada Labour Code, and that amendments should actually be done by a government bill, not by a private member's bill.

Could I get comments from my colleague on that?

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague. What he said is true.

In 2006, the government carried out a study of the Canada Labour Code, but there was no follow up. It is important to study the bill at second reading so that we can make amendments.

I agree that we should not be introducing piecemeal bills, and that instead we should be doing a study, since many changes are needed. However, my only option right now is to propose piecemeal changes by introducing bills.

I hope that we can continue with this study, since it is time to modernize the Canada Labour Code. Nothing has been done in the past 10 years.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Jonquière. The member was elected just a few months ago, and she has already introduced an important bill in the House. I want to congratulate her.

I also want to salute the courage of her party, since it is no secret that this is not the first time it has introduced a similar bill. I think it is clear how we will react, but I cannot wait to see how government members will react.

The member mentioned a 2006 study, which was conducted by the department then known as Human Resources and Social Development and now known as Employment and Social Development.

The report indicated, and I quote, “There is no evidence that a law to prohibit the use of replacement workers reduces the number or length of work stoppages. On the contrary, such laws are associated with more frequent and longer strikes.”

Is that what the member is proposing in her bill? I do not think so, but how does she explain her proposal, in light of the analysis by Employment and Social Development?