Debates of April 14th, 2016

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, McGill University's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is located in my riding. The faculty does world-class research on the relationship between environment, including water supply and climate change, and agriculture.

Could the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell the House what our government is doing to support and encourage research in this area, both at McGill's Macdonald Campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and across the country?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to join my colleague recently at McGill's Macdonald Campus to announce our government's investment of $27 million to the agricultural greenhouse gases program. This program funds vital research in practices and technology that can be adopted on farms across the country.

This is a great example of our government's commitment to research and innovation and to ensuring that the Canadian agricultural sector is more innovative and sustainable than ever.

International Trade

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's business owners, farmers, and manufacturers deserve to be on a level playing field with their global competitors. However, the Liberal inaction and comments are confusing Canadians. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has said that we should and must ratify the TPP because being left behind would be catastrophic for Canadians. How will the Liberals help out our exporters to do business with Japan and Asian markets if they do not ratify the trans-Pacific partnership?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question as well as for his hard work and leadership on the trade committee.

We have committed to studying the TPP before taking a decision. We are doing precisely that. The trade committee is doing that, so we are gathering the appropriate information before taking a decision on ratifying.

In the meantime, I would assure the hon. member that we are looking at every avenue for increasing Canada's trade and attracting job-creating investment to Canada.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Quebec National Assembly passed a second motion asking the government to resolve the diafiltered milk issue once and for all. In less than two days, 4,500 people signed a petition calling on the government to take concrete action. Our producers are losing $220 million a year as a result of this government's inaction. Our regions' economies are suffering as a direct result.

The government either needs to take action or compensate our producers. What is the government waiting for? When will it finally resolve the diafiltered milk issue once and for all?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her question.

We are aware of issues with enforcement of our rules surrounding supply management. As the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has often said in the House, our government supports supply management.

We are working with the industry to find a long-term solution.

Housing

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Toronto Community Housing provides affordable housing to 58,000 households, of which there are 68 buildings in my riding of Don Valley East, encompassing thousands of residents. With a repair backlog of $2.6 billion, thousands of homes are affected. Could the minister please update the House on how he is working with the City to alleviate this problem?

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

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate and thank my colleague for this very important question.

Budget 2016 would provide the largest federal investment in housing in over 25 years. This investment of $2.3 billion includes, among other things, $200 million for seniors housing, doubling the federal investment in affordable housing, as well as close to $600 million for retrofits and renovations.

I very much look forward to working with my colleague from Don Valley East, Toronto Community Housing, and the Ontario government to make those funds quickly and easily available.

International Trade

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's dairy producers are totally distraught because the Liberal government is dragging its feet on the issue of diafiltered milk. Canadian dairy producers are losing millions of dollars every week because of an injustice, a scheme orchestrated by processing industries that do not care about behaving ethically toward their business partners.

Our dairy producers have been tormented long enough. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food must act immediately in the collective interest of the entire dairy industry. Will he take action now, or is he going to put it off indefinitely?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister has often pointed out to the House, we inherited this problem from the previous government.

We are working on the problem. We are aware of the issues and we know how important this is to the industry in Quebec and all across the country. We are working on coming up with a long-term solution.

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we did not ask whether the government is aware of the issues; we want to know if it is going to enforce the regulations.

For the parliamentary secretary's benefit, I repeat that the National Assembly called on the government to ensure that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency enforces its own regulation on cheese composition, using the same definition of diafiltered milk that the Canada Border Services Agency uses, namely, a protein concentrate.

Will the government commit to respecting the unanimous will of the National Assembly and dairy producers, yes or no?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the resolution adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec. We are also aware of the issues all across the country. We have committed to finding a solution, and that is exactly what we will do.

Taxation

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has once again dismissed the unanimous will of Quebec. I will give it a second chance

This morning, the Quebec National Assembly unanimously adopted another motion. It calls on the federal government to work with Quebec to implement the motion I will be moving this evening, which will put an end to the shameful use of tax havens in Barbados. Quebeckers are sick and tired of seeing Canadian law encourage profiteers.

Will the Prime Minister make a formal commitment to honour Quebec's unanimous request by supporting the Bloc Québécois's Motion No. 42, yes or no?

[Emmanuel Dubourg, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to answer my colleague's question.

First of all, I would remind members that the protection of personal information is one of our priorities. When the Canada Revenue Agency shares information with other countries, personal information is protected.

My colleague has seen that the budget includes an unprecedented investment of $444 million. This shows that the government is determined to put an end to these schemes in order to benefit Canadians.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would like to draw the attention of hon. members to the presence in the gallery of Her Excellency Inara Murniece, Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on an important point of order seeking unanimous consent of the House, and I will tell the House why. It is to confirm our collective intention that no RCMP member be prevented from communicating with his or her member of Parliament on Bill C-7, and that no discipline be enforced upon a member who has responded to the call of the public safety committee to appear before it as a witness.

I am sure it is the intention of all of us to make sure that members affected by laws in front of this place have the right to communicate in a responsible way with their elected representatives and to respond to give testimony before the committee considering that bill.

Why is unanimous consent required? It is because a letter was shared today that would suggest that some members could not appear and that some members may be disciplined for giving testimony this morning at committee.

I would ask for unanimous consent so that, as a collective, we can exercise our right to call witnesses on important matters affecting this country.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is there unanimous consent for what the member has requested?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

Oral Questions

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport, in reply to a question from my colleague, offered to provide his agenda of meetings to this place. In keeping with the mandate letter issued to the minister wherein he is required to be open and transparent, I am asking that he make available that agenda of meetings, including with communities that are concerned about rail safety.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I am not sure that is a point of order, but I see the hon. Minister of Transport rising to respond to this.

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I said that the hon. member should look at my agenda. If she wants to come over to my office, I will show it to her.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

That sounds like debate to me.

The hon. member for Grande Prairie—Mackenzie.

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister made that same offer to me during question period as well, so I wonder if he will offer me the same opportunity to look through his schedule.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I think this is more debate. We will let it go at that.