Debates of May 13th, 2016

Veterans

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member cares about veterans, and I know that she wants to make it better for all veterans. This should be a non-partisan issue that we can all work on together to make things better for our veterans.

I did not know there was something missing from the website, but we will take that under advisement. If there is something missing, we will fix it and make it right.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that very much, and I do enjoy working with the member.

There is an expectation by Canadians that changes to legislation are explained and available online through the Parliament of Canada website. However, on the legislation to implement the budget changes for veterans, no background information is available.

Can the Minister of Veterans Affairs explain why this key information is being kept from Parliament and not disclosed to the veterans it affects?

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I already indicated, I do not know about that particular issue. I do not have an answer for the hon. member right now, but I believe that kind of information is needed. We do need to share it. I will look into it and bring an answer back to this House.

International Trade

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of International Trade rose in this House, not to offer solutions or an update on the progress of a new softwood lumber agreement, but to pass the buck, point fingers, and try to assign blame away from the mismanagement of the Liberals on this file.

When will the Liberals take responsibility for Canadian jobs and bring home a new softwood lumber agreement?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are within the 100 days to find a framework with our American partners on softwood lumber.

The issue remains a very important priority for this government. We are aware. We are consulting with industry members. We are consulting with our provincial counterparts. We are obviously working with the Americans.

As the Minister of International Trade said yesterday in this House, it is not just about getting an agreement; it is about getting a good agreement for this country, and that is exactly what we will do.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the clock continues to tick down and we are going into a U.S. election. That response is simply not good enough.

Hundreds of thousands of forestry jobs are on the line, yet instead of working hard to resolve the softwood lumber dispute, the Liberals are waving the white flag.

Canadian companies need this agreement to be signed immediately in order to create good-paying jobs from coast to coast. Why are the Liberals planning to fail by failing to plan?

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

Mr. Speaker, the only flag we are waving is the Canadian flag, and we are waving it proudly.

We have every intention of coming away with a good agreement with our American partners that serves our industry across this country, as well as the particular provincial industries. We are aware of the various aspects and elements of this file. It is a complex file, but we have been working hard at it since day one.

Employment Insurance

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, since budget day, the NDP has been pushing to have all parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan included in extended EI benefits. More recently, even the Conservatives who cut EI have joined our push for fairness.

Yesterday, it was revealed that according to the government's own formula, Edmonton and southern Saskatchewan should be included. Why has the government not made extended EI benefits available to all laid-off workers in Alberta and Saskatchewan?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague noted, with any sharp, sustained jump in EI numbers in a particular region, changes have been made.

We were quick and decisive in the 12 regions. Certainly the new numbers, and the spike created by the forest fires in Fort McMurray, have again changed those numbers. They are being analyzed.

I will encourage the member across to stay tuned.

Official Languages

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have always supported the various bills introduced by the NDP regarding the bilingualism of Supreme Court judges. However, now that they are in government, they have changed their minds. They are not going to support my bill. The Department of Justice supposedly told them that they cannot take action. Nevertheless, many experts have clearly indicated that the government's argument does not hold water. Parliament can legislate on this matter.

Will the Liberals show some transparency and release the legal opinions they are relying on to justify their inaction?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not need any lessons from the NDP about official languages.

Official languages are the basis of who we are. We have always shown respect for official language minority communities. I have the opportunity to meet with members of these communities across the country and we commend them for their courage and determination to continue living and working in their own language.

We will continue to stand up for the francophone minority outside Quebec and the anglophone minority in Quebec. We are there for our minorities and we do not need any lessons from the NDP.

Health

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the election, the Liberals promised Canadians $3 billion towards palliative care.

Sadly, the Prime Minister's priority is not health care. Zero. There are zero new dollars in the budget for health, and the $3 billion for palliative care has become another broken Liberal promise.

Will the Liberals keep their promise to Canadians of $3 billion for palliative care, as they rush into their assisted suicide agenda?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we know there is more to do to provide Canadians with end-of-life care.

Canadians have told us that they want to stay independent and receive care at home, including at the end of their lives. As part of the new health accord, our government has committed to providing $3 billion over the next four years to improve home care, and this includes palliative care.

In collaboration with provinces and territories, we will move forward on shared health priorities, including examining ways to integrate and expand access to palliative care at home.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if that is true, that the government cares about palliative care, it should have told its members on the justice committee.

This week the justice committee shot down almost all opposition amendments on Bill C-14, including this one, “[that if someone] consulted a medical practitioner regarding palliative care options and were informed of the full range of options”.

Can the minister explain why Liberals shot down a very modest amendment requiring that patients simply be informed about palliative care options?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government has made it clear that we are committed to making sure that Canadians have access to health care services where they need it, which includes palliative care.

We are investing in home care. We have committed to investing $3 billion in home care. We have spoken with colleagues in provinces and territories to make sure that palliative care is part of that package.

We will make sure that Canadians have access to palliative care where they need it, and we will make sure it is accessible across this country.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is a matter of life and death, and Canadians need to know they have options.

Since the Liberals have steadfastly refused to support meaningful conscience protection, the situation in palliative care is about to go from bad to worse. Palliative care doctors are speaking out. Many do not want to be involved in assisted suicide. Sadly, some will even leave the field of practice if they are not given the opportunity to opt out.

Protecting conscience for individuals and institutions will keep beds open and keep doctors at work. Why did the government reject a meaningful conscience protection amendment?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadians are looking to their governments for leadership to advance availability and quality of palliative care within the broader scope of how we address Canadians' needs at the end of their life. This is why we are committed, as I mentioned earlier, to improving palliative care as part of the new health accord, supported by a long-term investment of $3 billion over the next four years.

Recently, federal, provincial, and territorial ministers of health agreed to work individually and collectively on improving home care to better meet the needs of Canadians.

Infrastructure

[Angelo Iacono, Alfred-Pellan, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, the government has announced an ambitious plan for social infrastructure, green infrastructure, and public transit. We know that these new funds will be disbursed quickly and efficiently, since the plan is based on the municipalities' priorities.

Nevertheless, can the minister tell us where we stand on infrastructure in Quebec?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Alfred-Pellan asked a good question. This gives me an opportunity to mention that I was in Montreal last week, along with the Minister of Infrastructure, to speak to our Quebec counterparts. As a result of these positive and constructive discussions, we will soon be able to sign an agreement.

Speaking of agreements, this morning, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced $18 million for the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, with Minister Hélène David and Alexandre Taillefer.

That is what you call delivering the goods.

Employment Insurance

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been months since we have had a jump in EI in Edmonton, and it has been months since the government excluded Edmonton region from the EI extension. It is not an issue associated with the fire recently in Fort McMurray. We have raised this issue several times with the government. When we finally received a response from the Liberals, it was nothing but a flippant talking point and non-answers. The Liberal MPs from Edmonton have failed to represent their hard-working constituents in the Edmonton region. We know workers in the Edmonton region qualify. Why is the minister forcing them to wait for the EI extension?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, this government responded quickly to the spike, the sudden, sharp jump in unemployment rates in 12 regions in this country. Certainly, as the numbers have increased in the Edmonton area, we know that in Saskatchewan there was a jump of 0.1%. Most of that was in part-time jobs. However, that data is fresh. We are analyzing it. I would encourage my colleague to stay tuned.

Finance

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this week the government tabled the supplementary estimates (A), seeking Parliament's approval for important investments in Canadians and their communities. These estimates raised the bar once more on openness, transparency, and accountability. Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board please tell this House about the steps the government is taking to allow Canadians to more easily track how the government spends its money?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly are making progress. In fact, in this year's supplementary estimates (A), there was funding for 33 items that have been announced in this year's budget, and that's compared with 11 last year and six the year before. Therefore, this is just the beginning. We look forward to working with all parliamentarians to better align the budget and the estimates processes to provide Canadians with far greater transparency and openness in government spending.

Canadian Heritage

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it looks as if the Liberals' war on history is going according to plan. First, they ordered the citizenship guide to be rewritten so that new Canadians would learn less about Canadian history. The government then announced that Confederation and Canadian history will not be themes of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Now we have learned that Canada's only museum that is fully dedicated to Confederation is being shut down due to a lack of federal support, this on the very eve of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Why this ruthless Liberal war on history?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague always knows how to make us laugh.

He knows very well that the Liberal Party of Canada and the Liberal government have always viewed history as absolutely essential, since it is part of our identity and our values. However, we also look at history to make projections and to build a stronger Canada. That is what we are doing.

Moreover, Canada must also be celebrated. That is why we are organizing major festivities across Canada to celebrate our 150th anniversary together, in each region and province.