House of Commons Hansard #46 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was palliative.
Phil McColeman Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, it must be frustrating for the Minister of Finance that the facts keep getting in the way of his rhetoric. Once again, he has been completely contradicted by his own department, which reported that he inherited a $7.5 billion Conservative surplus.
Will the Minister of Finance at least try to salvage some credibility and finally admit that the Conservatives left him a surplus, and his own reckless spending squandered it?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I can only say it again.
The professionals in the Department of Finance tell us that we will be in a deficit in fiscal year 2015-16, which has not yet been concluded. When the reports come in September, we will see the results. In the interim, we are focusing on what Canadians really care about, and that is to make investments so that we can make their lives better, which is exactly what we are doing.
Phil McColeman Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that he squandered the surplus, but the Minister of Finance does not have to keep squandering his credibility while he does it.
For months, the Minister of Finance has ignored the independent analysis of the PBO, private sector economists, and his own Department of Finance. Instead, he has decided to rely on his own magic to build a reckless budget.
Why does the Minister of Finance think that his mismanaging of the public purse is a gain?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear about what the parliamentary budget officer did say most recently. He said that budget 2016 would in fact help to grow the economy, which is exactly what we put forward to Canadians.
We expect that the measures we put in budget 2016 will actually grow the economy by about half a per cent this year and about a whole per cent next year, with 43,000 jobs this year and 100,000 next year. We are pleased with what we put forward and we know that it will be much better for Canadians for the future.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning La Presse is reporting that, once again, the Liberal government is hiding important information from Canadians, and once again, it has to do with the Department of Finance.
The Department of Finance analyzed the cost of the Liberal promises. The document that was released to the public was heavily censored by the minister, obviously because he knows very well that his promises are going to cost Canadians a fortune.
Why is the minister hiding information that is so important to Canadians' pocketbooks?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, openness and transparency within the Department of Finance are extremely important to me and to our department.
In this case, the department responded to a question in accordance with all the applicable rules. It was independent of me, and that is good.
What I want to point out now is that the figures are in budget 2016, and Canadians can see exactly what we did.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Minister of Finance, and to put it mildly, we are becoming accustomed to his lack of transparency, which has been an issue from the beginning.
The tax changes were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion. The changes to the Canada child tax benefit were supposed to be revenue neutral, and yet there is a deficit of $1.4 billion.
My question for the minister is clear. Will he commit to releasing the study done by his department on the cost of the Liberal promises?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the numbers are in the budget. It outlines the exact measures and what they will cost. It is open and transparent for all Canadians.
Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Mr. Speaker, when the minister found out that the Church did not fulfill its obligation to contribute $25 million to fund programs for victims of residential schools, she said she was powerless and there was nothing she could do. However, that sum is in the court-approved settlement. What is more, it was her department that authorized the agreement that let the Church off the hook.
When will the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs compel the Church to fulfill its obligations to the victims of residential schools?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, while the previous government left no room for legal recourse, this government continues to work with the Catholic entities. It is very important that they play their part in the reconciliation process and that they fulfill their commitments, regardless of their obligations under the legislation.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Human Rights Tribunal has made it clear that it is fed up with the government's inaction on dealing with the issue of racial discrimination against indigenous children. It points out that the Liberal budget failed children in the area of child welfare. The government continues to deny medical services to children and fights their families in court.
The tribunal has effectively put indigenous affairs under third party management because it simply does not trust the government. To the Prime Minister, as the minister of youth, will he respect this ruling and if so, what are the immediate steps the government will take to end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children in this country?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely going to fulfill our obligations under the tribunal ruling, including the new definition and broader definition of Jordan's principle. It is extraordinary. I had a very good meeting this morning with Dr. Blackstock and the AFN. We are going to work with the provinces and territories to get this done.
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, the greatest opportunity to get the TPP ratified is before the next U.S. president takes office. Former Obama defense secretary Leon Panetta says there is a low probability of its passing Congress if it is not passed before the end of this presidential term. Yet the Liberals are engaging in endless consultations here and the minister says it is not her job to promote the TPP.
When will the minister spend more time on trade promotion and less time on vanity trips to L.A.?
Omar Alghabra LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government made a commitment to consult Canadians before taking a decision on ratification. That is exactly what we have been doing since taking office. The government has consulted on this agreement on over 250 separate occasions and will continue to do so. I am also very glad that the House of Commons trade committee has invited Canadians to share their opinions with it in public hearings. Perhaps this is something the previous government is not accustomed to, but this is something we have promised Canadians and we are fulfilling this promise.
Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK
Mr. Speaker, there was a full round of consultations last spring when we were still in government as it led up to the TPP. On April 20, Canada's lead negotiator for the TPP is quoted in The Hill Times, so it must be accurate, saying that this coming year is looking exciting. She will be assisting the international trade minister in ratifying the TPP deal that she worked so hard on, and we agree with that.
Now that we have confirmed the Liberals have already made up their mind, will the minister bring the TPP to the House for ratification and start spending more time on trade promotion instead of costly self-promotion?
Omar Alghabra LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the hon. member has against consultation. I do not know what the hon. member has against the hard work by the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade. Our minister, our parliamentary secretary, and our government are committed to fulfilling our promise to consult Canadians. We are working very hard on these consultations and I invite the hon. member and his colleagues to participate in these consultations.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance.
Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the minister visited Los Angeles to reinforce the important economic relationship between California and Canada. California and Canada conduct over $40 billion in annual bilateral trade.
The minister has made it clear that all the rules appropriate were followed with this trip. In addition to round tables with the business community and creative industries during the Los Angeles trade mission, the minister was proud to promote Canada to an American audience, including Canada's leadership on the Syrian refugee file.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
Mr. Speaker, we know the minister rescheduled her personal vanity trip to California from October to November, after she was appointed to cabinet. Emails released through access to information indicate her staff was left in the dark until the final days of her L.A. departure. Apparently, no one but the minister knew she was going to L.A. to spend some time with Bill Maher.
When is the minister going to be honest with Canadians and admit the trip was about her and not about her job as the trade minister?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, one group of people who were not in the dark about the minister's trip to California was the business leaders, the academic leaders, and the government leaders that she met with when she was in California to promote Canadian trade.
Forty billion dollars a year in bilateral trade is something we think is important. If the member does not think so, then he has a different view from this side of the House.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them.
The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE “does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information”. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make it clear for the hon. member that the Communications Security Establishment has no oversight over CSIS.
To answer her question, CSE has proactively worked with the commissioner on all aspects. They do have a good working relationship, because CSE abides by Canadian law, including the Privacy Act.
Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.
Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Harjit S. Sajjan LiberalMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, in the previous report that the commissioner released, he said that a CSE official proactively provided the information to them, which allowed them to conduct a thorough investigation.
I also want to remind the hon. member that CSE plays a critical role in protecting against cyber-threats, foreign espionage, and foreign-based terrorist threats as well.
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, science and data are the cornerstone of good public policy. Canadians expect us to make informed decisions based on reliable data. This is the role Statistics Canada has been fulfilling for many years with its census program. The data collected through the census survey helps policy-makers and planners make decisions on everything from public health to transit to housing.
Could the government tell the House what we can expect with the return of the mandatory census program this year?