House of Commons Hansard #47 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was death.

Topics

Ministerial ExpensesOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Vancouver Kingsway.

HealthOral Questions

May 3rd, 2016 / 2:40 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Mr. Speaker, at the heart of our public health care system is one simple principle: no one should have to pay out of pocket for health care. Yet, patients all across the country are being charged extra fees for medical services, and the Government of Canada is doing nothing about it.

Some Canadians have become so frustrated with Liberal inaction, they filed a lawsuit today against the federal government.

Why will the minister not do her job, enforce the Canada Health Act, and act immediately to put a stop to user fees?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Markham—Stouffville Ontario

Liberal

Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to uphold, along with our government, the Canada Health Act.

This government is taking federal leadership on health care. We uphold the Canada Health Act that underscores a number of principles, including accessibility, which ensures Canadians will always have access to the care they need, based on that need and not based on the ability to pay.

I will work with the provinces and territories to ensure that access is always available to Canadians.

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Brigitte Sansoucy NDP Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC

Mr. Speaker, the charging of ancillary fees for health care services is a problem that has been going on in Quebec for years, and the government has done nothing to stop it.

Now, a huge coalition of groups, including the FADOQ, the Québec Medical Association, and the FIQ, are taking the Government of Canada to court to make it enforce the Canada Health Act.

Will the minister do her duty, enforce the law, and put an end to ancillary fees?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Markham—Stouffville Ontario

Liberal

Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, we fully support the principles of the Canada Health Act, which seeks to ensure that all Canadians have reasonable access to medical and hospital services that are medically necessary based on need, not ability to pay.

I am committed to working with our partners to strengthen our universal public health care system while upholding the principles of the Canada Health Act.

Agriculture and Agri-foodOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Denis Paradis Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food and has to do with the committee's agenda. All members of the House know that the dairy industry is an important economic driver in Canada.

Can the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food talk to the House about the committee's agenda, specifically with respect to diafiltered milk?

Agriculture and Agri-foodOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Pat Finnigan Liberal Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform my colleague from Brome—Missisquoi that I received a notice of motion from the member for Fundy Royal, calling on the committee to adopt a report that recognizes the government's support of the dairy industry, that recognizes the impact of the importation of diafiltered milk, and that calls on the government to meet with dairy industry representatives in the next 30 days in order to find sustainable solutions to modernize the industry.

Ministerial ExpensesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, we all know the Minister of International Trade's sole purpose for being in LA was to be on television.

Yesterday, when the government House leader tried to defend the minister's unplanned vanity trip, he said, “The minister signed important agreements during her visit to California”. If that is the case, will she table these important agreements immediately, keeping in mind that credit card receipts and the waiver for Bill Maher do not count?

Ministerial ExpensesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, once again the Conservatives are trying to create a story where there is none. I have already listed the business meetings I held in California. However, unlike the Conservatives, who do not like the media, we understand it is our job to talk to the media at home and abroad.

I want to point out that I appeared in the media in California with some important Canadian partners, Senator Angus King of Maine, and the California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.

Ministerial ExpensesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Mr. Speaker, they all happened to be sitting on the same panel show, so they do not count as individuals.

Either the minister signed important agreements or she did not. If she did, then she should table them right here so we can all have a look at them.

We know her own bureaucrats were in the dark, with 500 pages of emails in two days trying to figure out what she was doing there and why it would cost $20,000 to have her there.

Is the House leader going to stand and apologize for misleading the House yesterday if there were no signed agreements?

Ministerial ExpensesOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, what we are not going to apologize for is having an international trade minister who travels around the world promoting Canadian commercial interests in the United States and in other parts of the world. We are proud of the work she is doing for Canadian jobs and ensuring that Canadian companies are able to compete globally. She will continue to do that.

International TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons told the House that the Minister of International Trade had signed important agreements during her visit to Los Angeles.

Would it be possible to see which agreements?

International TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are trying to create a story where there is none. It is my job to promote Canada abroad.

Since the opposition is so interested in this issue, I will repeat that they should keep in mind that it was their own former leader who spent $50,000 of taxpayer money to pay a consultant to find American interviews.

We do not have to pay Republican hacks to organize media appearances—

International TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order, please. The hon. member for Lévis—Lotbinière.

International TradeOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government concluded the trans-Pacific partnership, and we know that many businesses in the regions of Quebec will benefit from the economic spinoffs of this trade agreement.

Can the current government provide some reassurance to the Quebec regions by confirming that it will not tamper with any of the measures that are of significant importance to Quebec?

International TradeOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

University—Rosedale Ontario

Liberal

Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of International Trade

Mr. Speaker, our work on CETA removes all doubt as to our commitment to free trade.

However, we promised to consult Canadians on the TPP. Our government has held over 250 consultations on the TPP. None of the member countries have ratified the TPP yet.

We know that the Conservatives do not believe in public debate, but we do.

Status of WomenOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC

Mr. Speaker, on a single day, three out of four Canadians seeking help from a domestic violence shelter are turned away. Many more women fleeing violence cannot even access a shelter because none exist in their region. The Liberal budget did not have sufficient funding and offered no money for a comprehensive national action plan.

We need to address this problem at its root. Will the government adopt a national action plan, with adequate funding, and finally end violence against women?

Status of WomenOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Thunder Bay—Superior North Ontario

Liberal

Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Status of Women

Mr. Speaker, I thank the colleague across the floor for her unwavering efforts to address gender-based violence.

As the member well knows, we in fact do have plans for a comprehensive gender-based federal strategy to end violence against women. More than that, we are very proud of our investments in shelters, transitional homes, and affordable housing that will affect women in a tremendous way to move forward in a safe and productive manner and will have effects for generations to come.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, in 2010, a mere six years ago, the House unanimously supported an NDP motion calling for Canadian engagement in negotiations for a global convention on nuclear weapons, and to kick-start the Canadian diplomatic initiative to prevent nuclear proliferation.

The Prime Minister has publicly promised to re-engage Canada with the United Nations and to seek a seat on the Security Council.

What, if any, commitments did Canada make yesterday when he and the Minister of Global Affairs met with the United Nation's High Representative for Disarmament Affairs?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, indeed, Canada wants to help with disarmament in all of its facets. This is what I have said to the High Representative.

The approach we want to take is to focus on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. This is the best way for Canada to go ahead and make progress with our allies. We will focus on that, and we will count on the contribution of all members in this House on this important challenge that we have to face.

IranOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON

Mr. Speaker, the cat is really out of the bag now. It was reported today that talks between the Liberal government and Iran to re-establish diplomatic ties are well under way.

Despite the minister's protestations in the House yesterday that Iran will remain listed as a state sponsor of terror, it is clear that the Canadian government is on the fast track to normalize relations with Tehran. The government seems determined to cave in to this odious regime's demands.

How can the government negotiate with a state sponsor of terror?

IranOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, under the former government, Canada was alone in having an empty chair with a lot of countries when it disliked the regimes, which was the wrong approach. All our allies are asking us to stop this wrong approach, and it is what we will do with Iran.

In order to see progress on human rights and progress on the protection of Canada's interests and the interests of our allies, including Israel, Canada will engage with Iran with open eyes, step by step.

IranOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON

Mr. Speaker, in February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Trade announced that Canada was positioning for commercial trade in Iran.

Yesterday, the minister told us the Liberals have no current plan to delist Iran as a state sponsor of terror.

Exactly how does he think he can negotiate these two diametrically opposite courses? Can he tell us when he expects to sit down for a business chat with his terror-sponsoring, human-rights-abusing Iranian counterpart?

IranOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, every day, every week, we have different business people, governments, that are going to Iran. They are negotiating for their national interests in Iran with open eyes, to make sure that the nuclear program of Iran will not be militarized. I think it is the right approach, our allies were right to do so, and Canada will join them.

IranOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

Conservative

Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB

Mr. Speaker, the Baha'i faith was founded in Iran, but Baha'is in Iran today face significant persecution, which includes executions and the destruction of holy sites.

We are well aware of Iran's belligerence, but the suppression of the Iranian people and efforts to crush the Baha'i community in particular are also part of the record of this vile government, which requires our attention.

After killing the Office of Religious Freedom more than a month ago, what is the government going to do for religious and ethnic minorities in Iran?