Debates of April 12th, 2016

Small Business

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the communications specialists working for the Liberal Party have taken over the budget. When there is no content, they simply step up the rhetoric and press repeat. The truth behind the empty rhetoric is that they have no plan and are incapable of creating one.

Small businesses have been betrayed by this government, which has repeatedly broken its promise to reduce the corporate tax rate. In my region, the president of the chamber of commerce is publicly asking whether the government realizes that small business is crucial to economic recovery.

Will the Minister of Economic Development stop the broken record and finally give a real answer?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

We have a plan that will work very well for Canadians and small businesses.

We have a budget and we encourage members opposite to read the budget. They can make hand gestures all they want, but we know that we have a plan. Canadians know that we have a plan, and that is what they elected us to do. Our government is making very important investments directly in helping small businesses.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

If they would like to listen, I can give them some details that they are welcome to read as well. Five hundred—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Edmonton Riverbend.

Employment

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals in Edmonton campaigned on deficits and told us “Don't worry, we got this, and it will only cost you $10 billion a year”. It is now three times that much. They also told Albertans “Don't worry; we know what's best for your region”. Edmonton's economy has been seriously impacted and we were completely left out of the EI expansion. We are told that we should be thankful and pleased at the work of the Prime Minister. Honestly, how can the Liberals be so out of touch with what is happening in western Canada?

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that we are hardly not relating to the situation in Edmonton. As I was previously involved in the geological sciences, I know exactly what many people are facing. In fact, the folks in Edmonton are going to benefit from the over $2-billion investment that we made in supports for all workers in all regions, including Edmonton, Quebec, and Newfoundland. There are many benefits that will help those in Edmonton.

Science

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, scientific research plays an important role in growing a clean economy. I see that every day in my riding through the work done by the researchers, professors, and students at the Longueuil campus of the Université de Sherbrooke.

Can the Minister of Science tell the House about the initiatives proposed in the budget to promote research and innovation?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Minister of Science]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science.

Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade.

According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.

International Trade

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

The Liberal budget showed a complete neglect for Canadian agriculture, and it is a slap in the face to the 2.2 million Canadians who rely on the industry. However, there is one thing the government can do to help Canadian farmers and farm families: ratify the trans-Pacific partnership. Farmers support it. Small businesses support it. The energy sector supports it. The only one we do not know about is the Liberal government.

Can the minister stand in her place today and commit to bringing the TPP to this House for ratification?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the daughter of a farmer, I am proud of the support by our government for farmers. That has been manifested in our success with getting the discriminatory COOL legislation repealed, which is something that the previous government opposite failed to do.

Our commitment to free trade is manifested in our hard work on CETA, which legal scrub we have completed. Again, that is something the party opposite failed to do.

We are consulting on TPP, and that is the right thing to do as well.

Search and Rescue

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

We have now learned that the Liberal government is looking at privatizing search and rescue as part of the defence review. This was an idea that was first raised by the Conservatives five years ago, and finally abandoned only after a public outcry. At that time, the current Minister of Public Services said she was “appalled by the government's notice to companies that the government would be exploring the privatization of search-and-rescue operations”.

Privatizing search and rescue would clearly put Canadian lives at risk. Will the government do the right thing and abandon this plan?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government might have been looking at privatizing search and rescue, but I can assure the member that this government is not, because the Canadian Armed Forces play a critical role in search and rescue.

Economic Development

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last month I had the opportunity to announce $4.84 million for the Bioenterprise Corporation in Guelph. Could the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please inform the House about this exciting new investment?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Guelph for his question and his continued effort to raise the business needs of his riding.

Guelph and the surrounding region is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, and this investment of $4.84 million to Bioenterprise is a prime example of our commitment to cultivating and encouraging creativity, invention, and collaboration.

I am proud to say that budget 2016 focuses on expanding our start-ups and strengthening our innovation clusters to help create opportunities for long-term development and sustainable economic growth.

It is about growing the economy and creating jobs.

Public Safety

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, troubling reports out of the United Kingdom indicate that a Canadian terror suspect is being pursued with respect to possible risks to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelling in India.

I ask that the Minister of Public Safety update the House and confirm that CSIS and all of our security agencies are providing co-operation in this international investigation.

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, obviously I would not comment on any specific operational matter, but I can also confirm what the hon. gentleman implied in his question, that in circumstances where international co-operation is required, most certainly CSIS, the RCMP, the CBSA, and every agency under the authority of the Government of Canada, co-operate fully with our international partners.

The Environment

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has lost her battle: her colleague, the Minister of Finance, has convinced the Prime Minister to move forward with the energy east pipeline. The Prime Minister has given up on refereeing. He has asked for a strategy, a plan, I imagine, to impose this pipeline on Quebec. Never mind social licence, never mind the Paris commitments, never mind the green shift.

Is that the kind of influence the 40 members from Quebec have within this government?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we have a regulatory strategy. Our government wants to work with the provinces and territories to reduce carbon pollution no matter what the energy system looks like in the different jurisdictions. This is about reducing carbon pollution, which is fuelling climate change, and not about closing or keeping anything in the ground, as some are suggesting. We have a transition process for all projects, and we will look at every project individually to be sure that it is something that makes sense for the environment and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Montcalm.

Ethics

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government wants to fight climate change, but not at the expense of western oil companies. It wants to believe in the rule of law, but it changes the law to accommodate Air Canada. It wants to stand up for social justice, but it will not deprive its friends on Bay Street of their tax haven in Barbados. It wants to defend human rights, as long as that does not affect its business dealings with Saudi Arabia.

At what price does this government sell out its principles?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, ours is a principled government. With respect to the issues he mentioned, I would like to remind my colleague that our amendment to the Air Canada Public Participation Act will result in the creation of maintenance jobs in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario. Air Canada will also help establish two centres of excellence in Quebec and Manitoba. I would like to add that Bombardier will purchase 45 to 75 planes and that maintenance of these planes will be done in Quebec for 20 years.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on March 22, when the finance minister tabled the various budget documents associated with his budget, he failed to table the January “Fiscal Monitor”, which shows a Conservative surplus left to the Liberals. They did not like December and they did not like November. Maybe they will like January. Could I get unanimous consent to table this document?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to table the document?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.