House of Commons Hansard #42 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was justice.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government keeps changing its story about the Saudi arms deal. After the minister described it as a done deal, he now claims that he, and he alone, made the decision to sign the export permit.
Canadians need to know who is running the show. Is it true that the Prime Minister and the PMO were kept completely in the dark about the signing of the export permit?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as I have said since the beginning, whenever this issue came up in the election campaign and even before, we will not cancel an existing contract. Indeed, we will continue to respect contracts signed, because people around the world need to know that, when Canada signs a deal, it is respected.
For the administrative steps that have followed, we are demonstrating government by cabinet, which means I have tremendous confidence in the ministers in our government to make the right decisions on files that cross their desks, and they do so with the full support of the prime minister, because that is why we put them in this job.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, it would be nice if the government followed its own rules.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has been telling Canadians for weeks that there would be penalties if the arms deal with Saudi Arabia were cancelled. However, this morning, he told us that there might not be, which is yet another contradiction. This is a far cry from an open and transparent government. Canadians have the right to know.
Will the Prime Minister stop doing political yoga and make the contract public?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I have been saying the same thing about this contract for well over six months. We will not cancel an existing contract. It is important for people to know that when Canada signs an international deal, it is respected.
The member for Outremont and the member for London—Fanshawe have stated very clearly that we do not cancel signed contracts. However, obviously, we are concerned about human rights around the world. We are therefore going to be open and transparent in our agreements in the future, because that is what Canadians are demanding and that is how we want to do things.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the contract has not, in fact, been signed. It is this government's decision. Its responsibility.
Canada is going to completely miss the Conservatives' pathetic greenhouse gas targets. The Prime Minister talks a good talk on climate change, but the Liberals have the exact same targets as the Conservatives. A few days before the agreement is to be signed, they still have no plan.
Will the Prime Minister finally present his action plan, or is his trip to New York just another one of those photo ops he loves so much?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question and congratulate him on the quality of his French.
What we know is that Canada must meet responsible climate change targets. We will do so by working with our provincial partners. The Government of Canada, under the Conservatives, spent too much time not talking to or working with the provinces. That is why we are setting targets and developing a plan together, with the provinces, to make the reductions needed to save the planet.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that, when asked when things would actually get better with respect to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the minister could not even offer an answer.
The Prime Minister went to Paris with no targets, no plan to get there, and no accountability to keep his government honest. Then the Prime Minister met with the premiers and came away with no targets, no plan, and no accountability. Now the Prime Minister is jetting off to New York City with no plan, no targets, and no accountability.
Exactly how are these Liberals all that different from the Chrétien Liberals who failed us so miserably?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his hard work and his devotion to the environment. It is something that we share.
We know that Canada needs to do more on the environment. That is why we have demonstrated every step of the way that we understand that building a strong economy goes hand in hand with protecting the environment.
That is the leadership we showed at Paris. That is the leadership we continue to show on the world stage; and that is the hard work we are doing with our provincial partners and with municipalities to make sure that Canada once again has a well-earned reputation as a leader on the environmental file right across the world.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, today, in an effort to cover her tracks, the Minister of International Trade said her trade meetings in Los Angeles were booked before her HBO interview.
However, originally her HBO appearance was supposed to be on October 30. That was before she was even sworn in as minister.
This meeting was then postponed until November 20, so on what day did her staff start booking the LA meetings? Is she saying that they started even before she was the minister?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none.
It is my job to promote Canada and Canadian business around the world. Following the APEC summit in the Philippines, I was proud to visit California, one of our largest trading partners, larger than Japan, Germany, or the U.K., where I held six business round tables.
The Conservatives' accusations are absolutely wrong. All of our expenses were clearly posted months before this was raised.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade's story just does not add up. She had a reserved seat on the government jet leaving Manilla, but she wanted some TV time on a popular U.S. show, so the minister instructed her staff to book some last-minute meetings and a first class ticket for her personal vanity project.
This minister cost Canadian taxpayers almost $20,000 just so she could get schooled by an American comedian. Why does the minister believe that Canadians should have to pay for her hard-knock life lessons?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, who do not really like the media, I know it is my job to promote Canada to the world.
In California, I appeared in the media with U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine and with Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom of California. I also spoke to the LA Times, which wrote a column about our economic policy, and I very proudly defended Canada's support for Syrian refugees, something I will do again and again.
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, the fact is the Minister of International Trade spent $20,000 on an all-inclusive vanity trip to Hollywood, and to cover up this junket in Los Angeles, she instructed her department to create a few meetings, so that hopefully nobody would notice.
Does the minister really think Canadians believe she just happened to be in LA on business when HBO called, or does she think concocting last-minute meetings will make everything okay?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question, but since the members opposite are so interested in my promotion of Canada in California, let me talk about some of the meetings I held.
I met with U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine. I met with the Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. I met with Jim Haney, who is the senior VP and GM of City National Bank, recently acquired by RBC. I met with Greg Foster, the CEO of IMAX, a great Canadian company active in California.
I met with Creative BC and Trade and Invest B.C. I met with John Chiang, the treasurer of California. I met with Jeff Gorell, the deputy mayor of Los Angeles. There is more, but I have run out of time.
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, the minister took a self-promoting vanity trip to Hollywood. She billed the taxpayers $20,000 for this trip. She directed her staff to find meetings to try to justify this trip. She even double-billed the taxpayers for dinner in Toronto after she returned home from her trip.
When will this minister pay back Canadian taxpayers who shelled out so she could hobnob with Hollywood elite?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade
As I have said, Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none. Whether it is interviews with The Washington Post editorial board, the LA Times, BBC, or the many media interviews I did with German newspapers and with Bloomberg promoting CETA in Berlin last week, it is my proud job to promote Canada to the world.
Unlike the Conservatives, our open and transparent government speaks to the media, including international media. The Conservatives did everything possible to insult the media. We are doing things differently.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we learned that the Minister of International Trade spent nearly $20,000 so that she could appear on a Hollywood talk show. That $20,000 was taken from the pockets of the same Canadians and middle-class families that this government claims it wants to help. That is unacceptable. The minister's travel plans clearly show that the main reason for the trip was the interview with HBO.
Will the minister at least acknowledge that fact?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are trying to concoct a story where there is none. It is my job to promote Canada around the world, and I am proud of that. Following the APEC summit in the Philippines, I was proud to go to California for a trade visit. As everyone knows, California is one of our largest trading partners.
I repeat: the Conservatives' accusations are wrong, and all the rules were followed.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, in addition to learning that the Minister of International Trade wanted to be reimbursed for expenses that she should not have claimed, we learned that the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada had to fire its treasurer, Jean-François Lalonde, because an investigation by the chief electoral officer of Quebec revealed that he had committed electoral fraud.
Mr. Lalonde was fired. What will happen to the Minister of International Trade?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I have to give my colleague credit for lumping together two or three different issues. He knows full well that the president of the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec asked Mr. Lalonde to step down from his volunteer duties on the board of directors. He also knows full well that the charges laid by the chief electoral officer of Quebec have nothing to do with Mr. Lalonde's role in the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec.
Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC
Mr. Speaker, problems at the Canada Revenue Agency just keep mounting: officials being wined and dined by the very people they are meant to investigate, a senior investigator going over to the company in the middle of a court case, secret sweetheart deals that let millionaire tax cheats off the hook with no penalties. This is an outrage. Canadians are tired of the wealthy and well-connected getting all the tax breaks.
When will the minister stop defending the indefensible and announce an investigation into the KPMG tax scandal?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency's budget for 2016 is unprecedented and historic: $444 million. That investment will enable the agency to improve its client service, support the government's efforts to fight tax evasion and tax avoidance, and improve the agency's ability to collect outstanding tax debts.
Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister should put her cue cards down for a minute and use some common sense.
She is still defending the indefensible. This is not just about accountants participating in professional association events. This is about senior officials taking part in secret meetings at the Rideau Club.
What does she not understand about the appearance of conflict of interest? When will she put an end to these practices? When will she tell her officials that the Rideau Club is over and there will be no more secret meetings, period?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, my NDP colleague is choosing to doubt the professionalism of public servants. He should listen to his colleague from Jonquière, who had this to say in the House yesterday:
I am proud of Canada's public servants, the services they provide, and their professionalism.
I trust the agency employees to conduct themselves professionally. They are expected to adhere to the code of integrity and professional conduct. Every invitation they receive must be assessed in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Bob Saroya Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberals' lack of planning has resulted in Syrian refugees being extorted by crooked immigration consultants. These consultants are charging Syrian refugees thousands of dollars and selling them false hope of coming to Canada.
The previous Conservative government cracked down on crooked consultants. When are the Liberals going to close the door on those who are taking advantage of the most vulnerable?