House of Commons Hansard #38 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was impaired.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice, in attending the pay-to-play fundraiser with select lawyers and lobbyists, has compromised her independence, brought the office that she holds into disrepute, and breached ethical standards by which the minister is bound.
Will the minister stop the excuses and return the pay-to-play cash?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, let me try this again. That particular member made up a series of fake allegations and used his parliamentary immunity to make a whole series of allegations that he does not have the guts to go 25 metres out and say in front of a television camera.
He wrote a letter to the independent Ethics Commissioner with all these fake allegations, and she wrote back to him and said that at all times the minister followed the act and her responsibilities under the code.
He should be ashamed to keep asking those ridiculous questions.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Members should be keeping mind that there will be partisan comments on both sides. It is supposed to be a place of strong disagreement sometimes. That is okay. It does not mean we cannot listen to answers, even if we do not like them, or questions, for that matter.
The hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London.
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, let us just get to the bottom of this. The minister keeps evading questions about the pay-to-play Liberal fundraiser. She apparently cannot speak on this issue or will not. Simply put, who planned this fundraiser?
There have been a number of ethical issues with this minister ever since she took over the position. Did she plan these unfortunate events, or is she being set up by those closest to her?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, again, the hon. member may want to ask her colleague from St. Albert.
The second-last paragraph on page 3 of the letter that the Ethics Commissioner sent him makes it clear that it is entirely appropriate for all members, including parliamentary secretaries and ministers, to solicit funds.
She knows there is no scandal here. She is trying to fabricate something, and we look forward perhaps to the next fake allegation that will follow in the next question.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice says that she went to the fundraising cocktail in Toronto to talk about issues facing her riding.
Yesterday, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons said that the minister spoke to the commissioner in her capacity as minister and as MP because the two roles cannot be dissociated. However, when she attends a fundraiser, she attends as an MP, not as a minister. That is a double standard.
Can the minister make the list of attendees public so that we can see who in Toronto was interested in meeting the MP for Vancouver Granville?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, if my colleague from Lévis had taken the time to read the Elections Act, he would be aware that the names of all attendees will be disclosed proactively in accordance with the law.
There is no secret here. It was not a secret fundraiser. The member may be thinking of former colleagues of his who are now in prison for inappropriate financial activities.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, far too many first nations and Métis children are growing up in this country without any hope for their future.
Far too many families, including my own, have been affected by suicide. Just this past weekend there were more suicide attempts in La Loche.
This is a crisis that demands actions—not visits, not photo ops, but action—yet the budget contained no new funding for mental health services.
When will we see a concrete plan from the government on mental health?
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, permit me to begin my comments by reflecting on last evening, when there was a very lovely and civil tone in this House when we discussed a matter that was both sobering and inspiring and talked about the fact that in this country, this wonderful, affluent, resourceful country, young people are deciding that life is not worth living and that we have not been able to find solutions to give them hope for the future.
I will continue to work with my colleague and all colleagues in this House to make sure that the mental health resources are there for young people and all Canadians when they need them.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues who participated in the debate last night. This may be a transformative moment, but the youth need action now.
First, there is a need for a family doctor in Attawapiskat. It is a simple request. Help us with that.
Second, there is no new mental health funding for the communities. We need that.
Third, I would like to ask the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to commit today to funding to empower indigenous youth, so they can start to look at how we can change programs, because after 140 years of failure and negligence and trauma, it is time we said that the youth will lead the way for the future.
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question, but I also thank him for his eloquence and passion last evening in discussing this, and his ongoing commitment.
No one knows the children and the youth in that community better than the member opposite, and we will work with the member.
We are heartened by what the mental health counsellors have decided to do: opening the centre and developing a youth council in that community, giving them ownership over the decisions that will be taken in their lives.
I look forward to working with the member on these things.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canada can provide a secure and sustainable supply of LNG to the world. The Liberals' three-month delay for B.C.'s Pacific Northwest LNG project sets Canada back, while our global competitors gain ground on long-term contracts with Asian markets.
Thousands of jobs are on the line. Billions of dollars in investment, royalties, and taxes are at stake. The Prime Minister should fight for Canada. Is he really going to sit back and let this opportunity slip away?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, we know that the only way to get resources to market is to make sure we do it in a sustainable way. We have a regulatory process. The project that the member opposite is referring to is going through that regulatory process.
The proponent brought significant new information that would have potential impact on salmon, so we need to do our due diligence and make sure we get this right before we can make a decision as to whether a project goes ahead or not.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Pacific Northwest LNG project has gone through an extensive approval process to date. What was first expected to take a year has now taken more than 750 days.
Despite diligent community consultations and support from most first nations, the Liberals have added more barriers and costs at the worst time. Canada deserves this opportunity. Why will the Liberals not support private sector job creation and responsible resource development, so Canada does not miss out?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, what Canadians deserve is an environmental assessment process they can trust. That is why we have committed to do it.
This project is being reviewed. The proponent has brought significant new information. We received 34,000 comments, and we are going to do the proper job to make sure we are making decisions based on facts and evidence, because that is the only way we will get our resource to market in a sustainable way.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, the evidence is that there are hundreds of thousands of jobs lost right now and hanging in the balance.
The Pacific Northwest LNG project would be the biggest private sector investment in British Columbia history. Billions in investment and thousands of well-paying jobs are hanging in the balance, yet the only thing the Minister of Environment will approve is a decision to delay the decision.
How can we expect the Liberals to be impartial when the Prime Minister's own principal secretary said he wants to shut down oil and gas development?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, we are committed to making sure that the environment and the economy go together, but that needs to be done in a responsible way.
We will make decisions based on facts and evidence. We are working very closely with the proponent and with the Government of British Columbia. I quote Rich Coleman, minister of B.C. natural gas development, who said:
...we are confident that working together with the federal government and the company, any remaining questions can be fully resolved expeditiously.
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC
Mr. Speaker, residents and small businesses in my riding are struggling right now due to low energy prices. Liberals have an opportunity to support our economy, and that opportunity is B.C. LNG.
The fact is that residents have now formed community action groups, like Fort St. John for LNG, and are working tirelessly to ensure the voices of yes are being heard.
I will ask it again of the minister. When will the Liberals stop ignoring our communities and come to a final decision on projects like Pacific Northwest LNG?
Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, we will make a decision when we have the facts and the evidence necessary to do so.
We have committed to an environmental assessment process that has the confidence of Canadians. We will make decisions based on facts and evidence. We are working with the proponent. We are working with the B.C. government to get the information we need to do just that.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals said they were going to be different, but now they are becoming just exactly what they opposed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs claimed that he had no choice when it came to the Conservative-backed arms deal with Saudi Arabia. He told us it was a done deal, but that was not the case. He approved the deal himself last Friday.
This is about human rights. Why are Canadians being misled on such an important issue?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, my colleague was confusing two different decisions.
The first one is to honour the signature on a contract. This is a contract that was signed in 2014. Her party, our party, and the Conservative Party committed to that decision to honour the signature.
The second one is about the export permits. I have the power to allow the export permits or to revoke them according to the behaviour of the county regarding human rights, on the use of the equipment. The equipment has not been misused since 1993. It is why, for now—
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, I do not understand. What is the point of the risk assessment process for arms exports if it is a done deal before the process even takes place? On the issue of the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister told Canadians repeatedly that there was nothing they could do, that their hands were tied. Now we learn that the minister authorized the sale himself last Friday.
Why did he deliberately mislead Canadians?
Why did he lead Canadians down the garden path?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, if the NDP's position is that we should have reneged on the Government of Canada's signature on a contract, I hope its members are prepared to say so in English in London. I hope our colleague from London—Fanshawe will also say so in London, because that was not their position during the election campaign.
Now, as for the export permits, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will grant them or deny them based on how the equipment is used. As long as the equipment is not used in any human rights abuses, as long as it is used in accordance with Canada's interests, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will honour the export permits. Otherwise, I will reverse my decision.