Debates of April 19th, 2016

Nuclear Waste

[Georgina Jolibois, NDP, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of the Committee for Future Generations, which has succeeded in keeping nuclear waste out of all communities of northern Saskatchewan. In a united voice with first nations and Métis community leaders the message was clear: no to nuclear waste in the riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

Nine communities are now fighting the same battle in Ontario. The plan to bury and abandon nuclear waste within a kilometre of the shore of Lake Huron is before the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for review.

In the spirit of stewardship, there is a mandate to consult with the first nations of Ontario on the proposed plan to store nuclear waste in their region. We hope this mandate will be honoured.

I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Windsor West, for his work on this file. I express my full solidarity with those who are committed to keeping nuclear waste out of their community.

Outstanding Businesses Scarborough Centre

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two outstanding businesses in my riding of Scarborough Centre that have shown real leadership in welcoming Syrian refugees to Canada.

David Andrews of 3-D Exteriors has already hired 11 Syrian refugees for his landscaping company. With spring finally here, he is ready to hire more.

Also, grocery store Marché Adonis and manager Hani Tawil have hired nearly 30 refugees. Some are stocking shelves or working in the bakery making pitas, while those with strong English skills are working as cashiers.

The managers have been impressed with how hard-working these newcomers are. The refugees have told me that they are grateful for the chance to provide for their families, and appreciate having the flexibility to schedule shifts around their language classes.

I applaud 3-D Exteriors and Marché Adonis, and I encourage more businesses to follow their lead.

The Environment

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, volunteers are the heartbeat of our communities. They give their time and energy to make the world a better place. Beautiful Langley would not be what it is without the tireless work of volunteers who care for the environment.

This Saturday we will celebrating Earth Day with the fifth annual clean-up Langley day. Businesses, community groups, families, and friends will come together to pitch in and clean up. I thank all the volunteers who will be working hard to keep Langley beautiful.

In Langley, we also want to ensure that our environmental heroes do not go unnoticed. Over the past 10 years, over 100 Langley residents and organizations have been recognized for their contributions. For the winners, a heritage apple tree and a bronze plaque will be planted in their honour.

Langley residents, from Langley city, Langley township, who see youth, organizations, or residents doing good work for the environment, please go to my website and nominate this year's Langley environment hero.

Lorraine Hamilton

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Lorraine Hamilton, a constituent in my riding of Burlington, who yesterday received the Ordre de la Pléiade, an internationally recognized honour.

This award recognizes and celebrates individuals who have made remarkable contributions to francophone culture and the French language in their communities and beyond.

Lorraine is a proud Canadian who values our French and English traditions and shares her passion for knowledge and learning with others.

Through her work at Collège Boréal in Hamilton, Lorraine supports and encourages new Canadians in fulfilling their dreams by embracing our two official languages and gives them the tools they need to begin their new lives in Canada.

I want to personally congratulate Lorraine on her efforts and this special recognition. Bravo, Lorraine.

Foreign Affairs

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Nadia Savchenko, Ukraine's first female fighter pilot, was captured and kidnapped out of Ukraine during Russia's military invasion.

In 2014, Savchenko was among the protestors in Maidan, who stood up to the corrupt rule of Viktor Yanukovych. As an officer of Ukraine's armed forces, she defended the unity of her country against Russian mercenaries and proxies in the East. She is a duly elected Ukrainian member of parliament and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The attempt to break Ukraine's spirit through the farce of a trial of Ukraine's Joan d'Arc has in fact strengthened her resolve. As she stated at the conclusion of her show trial, which sentenced her to 22 years, “Russia will return me to Ukraine — dead or alive” and declared a hunger strike. She is close to death, another in the long list of victims of Putin's regime.

I call on our Parliament to show our support for Nadia and demand of Putin that she be returned to her beloved Ukraine.

Nadiu, Slava Ukraini, Herojam Slava.

National Lineman Appreciation Day

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was National Lineman Appreciation Day.

Before I ask the House to join me in thanking linemen for the dangerous work they do, I must tell a story about a cat named Kitty from Princeton, British Columbia.

Kitty was just an everyday normal feline house cat that just so happened to find herself trapped upon a 60 foot utility pole carrying some 130,000-plus volts of power. Local residents were distraught, particularly her owner, Bill Blackhall. In the course of the four-day ordeal, Kitty became the #savethePrincetonBCcat, a Twitter hashtag that generated worldwide attention from cat lovers everywhere.

Fortunately, it was a lineman from BC Hydro who came to the rescue, and Kitty is now safe and sound with her owner.

Linemen do dangerous and important work, and are the unsung heroes of our national power grid. Please join me in thanking linemen, specifically those who saved Kitty.

Eating Disorders

[Michael Levitt, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I recently attended the National Initiative for Eating Disorders' fourth annual Honouring the Journey event, at Adath Israel Synagogue in my riding.

Eating disorders are complex and misunderstood mental illnesses, influenced by genetic, psychological, social, and cultural factors. They are not driven by body image or peer pressure but are triggered by them.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in young adult females, and the second most chronic illness in adolescence. They have the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder in adolescence. Youth with eating disorders are 12 times more likely to die than their peers who do not have eating disorders.

We must all work together to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and make sure that quality mental health services are available for all Canadians.

42nd General Election

[Nicola Di Iorio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while I do not know every one of my colleagues, I do know that six months ago to the day, at this very hour, we were all visiting polling stations in our respective ridings to thank volunteers, deputy returning officers, Chief Electoral Officer staff, and especially the voters. That same evening, surrounded by supporters, friends and family members, each of us celebrated victory. Things were different for the other candidates, whose dreams of serving in the House of Commons had been dashed.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to their country and the democratic process. I also invite all of my colleagues in the House of Commons to be grateful to them and to thank them warmly when they see them.

Taxation

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was tax day, the day that our taxes are due. Canadians can now say goodbye to the lowest taxation levels since 1962 and start looking forward to paying extra taxes if their kids are in arts and sports, extra taxes if their kids are in post-secondary education, extra taxes if people are taking advantage of income splitting, extra taxes for charities, extra taxes for the wealthy, extra taxes for small businesses, and extra taxes for a carbon footprint.

The only people who will not be paying more taxes are the many struggling Canadians who have lost their jobs in this economy.

The government's plan will only reduce the unemployment rate 0.3% over the next four years, so goodbye jobs and hello taxes.

Religious Freedom

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, while Ahmadiyya Muslims in Canada mark 50 years of peaceful, productive, and measurable contributions to Canada, not all Ahmadis have the opportunity to practise their faith motto: Love for all, hatred for none.

Just last month, on Easter Sunday, an explosion at a public park in Lahore, Pakistan specifically targeted Ahmadis. Tragically, at least 69 were killed, mostly women and children. Hundreds more were left injured in this horrific act of religious violence.

The attack comes just over a year after the brutal 2014 Peshawar school attack, which resulted in the death of more than 150 people, again primarily children, and a recent attack at a university, killing over 30 people.

Despite this community facing attacks and ongoing violence and discrimination, the Ahmadis' global spiritual leader has responded with a call for peace and understanding.

I join with his Holiness in condemning all religious intolerance and violence, and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia.

Rafting Industry in British Columbia

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

Mr. Speaker, after 40 years of successful and safe operations, the rafting industry in Golden, B.C. has been notified that due to safety concerns, it will no longer be allowed to cross Canadian Pacific Railway's tracks to access the lower canyon of the Kicking Horse River.

The rafting industry is a major economic driver in Golden, and community and industry leaders believe that a simple rail crossing, with safety education for employees and guests, can resolve these concerns. Now, CP is refusing to allow any kind of crossing at all.

CP cannot have it both ways. It cannot insist that the tracks are unsafe to cross and then refuse to make the crossing safer. To make matters worse, this news comes just before the start of the rafting season.

I rise in the House today to stand with Golden's rafting industry, and to call on the government to get this issue resolved now.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of months, over 100,000 Albertans have lost their jobs, and even more have taken significant pay cuts, while small businesses are struggling to keep their operations afloat. Now is not the time to add another tax.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what the federal Liberals said that they were going to do. In their budget, they announced plans that would force provinces to foist a carbon tax on all Canadians. Last week, Alberta's NDP government announced plans to play along and impose this additional tax on all Albertans.

This tax will make it more expensive for young people to get to work. It will be more expensive for seniors to heat their homes. It will be more expensive for farmers, and forestry, and energy companies to get their product to market. This tax will hurt families, seniors, and small business. This tax will kill jobs.

Albertans are hurting already. Albertans do not deserve this tax, and quite frankly they cannot afford it.

Refugees

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, hundreds of men, women, and children from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan sailed from Libya across the Mediterranean in search of sanctuary in Italy. Tragically, their vessel sank, and reportedly up to 400 people drowned in the Mediterranean. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives.

This comes on the first anniversary of a similar incident last year, in which 800 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.

Under the Geneva Conventions, those fleeing persecution are eligible for asylum, but they often face many obstacles. Asylum seekers are not criminals; they are human beings in need of protection and assistance and are deserving of our respect.

I urge Canada to provide leadership and work with our international partners to ensure that those fleeing persecution have safe passage to countries that may grant them the protection they are entitled to under international law.

Ethics

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I want to quote from the Prime Minister's own guidelines for ministers when it comes to fundraising:

There should be no preferential access to government, or appearance of preferential access, [given] to individuals...because they [may] have made a financial contribution to [a politician or a political party].

Given that the justice minister's fundraising activities at a top Toronto law firm are in direct violation of the Prime Minister's own code of conduct, when will he direct the Liberal Party to give the money back?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada has always followed all the rules and all the regulations involved with Elections Canada and political donations.

Indeed, the level of openness and transparency that we continue to display is a direct result of the lack of confidence that so many Canadians had in the way the previous government operated. Indeed, for three straight elections, the Conservatives have been convicted of election fraud in each of those elections. The fact is, Canadians were tired of the way the previous government functioned, and that is why we are committed to openness and transparency.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, that is not true. In the entire tenure of our government, in a fundraiser that was similar to the one in question, a mistake was recognized and the money was given back. Why is the standard different with the current government?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have always been open and transparent and followed every single rule of the Ethics Commissioner, of Elections Canada, and of electoral law. The fact is that in reference to the event that my hon. colleague speaks of regarding the former Conservative minister of heritage, the money was only returned after the Conservatives got their hands caught in the cookie jar for that one. We proactively engaged with the Ethics Commissioner on this and got the all-clear ahead of time.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should reread his own ethics code, because this is not about the Ethics Commissioner; it is actually about his own code that he put in place for his own minister. There has been a clear violation of that code. Why is the Prime Minister ignoring a blatant violation of his own code of conduct?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of convictions for electoral fraud and regularly dismaying the public with their partisanship and patronage, Canadians needed a change. That is why we demonstrated a level of openness and transparency, always following the rules, and indeed making available all the documents that the opposition is so blithely recounting now. We have demonstrated a level of confidence in Canadians that for 10 years was lacking from the previous government.

The Budget

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians still have 40 million good reasons.

The Liberal government has completely broken its promises on transparency. Just last week, the parliamentary budget officer said that he did not have everything he needed to do his job properly and evaluate such things as job creation. He did not have the right figures.

Now, the former parliamentary budget officer is adding his voice to the mix and saying exactly the same thing, that there is a lack of transparency. He said there was a reason behind this lack of transparency. It is important.

Why did the Prime Minister break his promise to be transparent—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous government, we are always very open to speaking and working with the parliamentary budget officer to show that we are trying to be much more transparent than the previous government was.

We are putting in place a new way of creating economic growth with longer-term strategies. There will certainly be an adjustment period for the parliamentary budget officer because we are being much more transparent than the last gang.

Taxation

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the parliamentary budget officer is saying .

At the time, we introduced Bill C-377 on union transparency. We believe that Canadians who pay union dues have the right to know how their mandatory dues are spent by union bosses. For us, it is about transparency and accountability.

Why does the Prime Minister want to prevent union members from knowing how their hard-earned money is spent?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I still find it very strange to hear the Conservatives talk about transparency when, for 10 years, their government was the most secretive and opaque of all Canadian governments.

The reality is that the Conservatives are still trying to use transparency as a political weapon against their opponents rather than understanding that true transparency means having trust in Canadians and trust in our unions. It is co-operation and a partnership that will yield better results for everyone. That is what Canadians want, and that is what we are giving them.