Debates of June 13th, 2016

The Environment

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's natural resource sector is still reeling from the low cost of oil. Just when there starts to be a glimmer of hope that prices might start to recover, the Liberals are coming along with a plan to tax the sector back into submission. New taxes will kill jobs, not create them.

If the provinces decide that a massive federal cash grab through a carbon tax is a bad idea, will the government allow them to opt out or will the Liberals impose their “Ottawa knows best” approach and dump another new tax on hard-working Canadians?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, this government is actively focused on growing the economy in an environmentally sustainable way.

Counter to the previous 10 years, where the environment was almost ignored, we are focused on ensuring that we grow the economy and manage the environment. We are also working very much on a federal, provincial, and territorial basis to ensure that we work collaboratively with other partners in the federation to come to a conclusion that will be a good conclusion for Canada and a good conclusion for the world.

Democratic Reform

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, they are shoving it right down the provinces' throats.

Today we learned why the Minister of Democratic Institutions has been pushing town halls so hard. It is not because she wants to increase participation. It is not because she wants to hear from people who normally do not vote. It is certainly not because she wants input from Canadians.

It is because she wants their cash. The electoral reform town hall the Liberals have planned in Dufferin—Caledon will be charging people to attend, and that money will go straight into the Liberal Party's bank account.

Is the reason the minister is so opposed to holding a referendum because her party cannot make money off one?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to set the record straight. The members of the House are responsible for ensuring that the voices of their constituents are heard and reflected in the report that the committee puts forward. I look forward to all of the creative and innovative ways that members do this. I want to ensure that all members are following all of the rules and regulations put forward by the House to make sure that we carry ourselves with integrity.

Marijuana

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians thought that the Liberals were going to change the marijuana laws as soon as they came to power. Why did everyone think that? It is because it was clearly stated in their election platform and because the Prime Minister said so himself about 100 times.

Since the campaign, however, the Liberals have encouraged the police to continue arresting Canadians for simple possession of marijuana.

Why would the government rather give tens of thousands of Canadians criminal records instead of decriminalizing marijuana now?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said all along, and we have been consistent, we are committed to legalization, restricting access, and strictly regulating marijuana to achieve the ultimate objective of keeping it out of the hands of kids, and the proceeds out of the hands of criminals. As my friend across the way has indicated in the past, it would be a mistake just to decriminalize because to simply decriminalize would not achieve those objectives.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, actually, decriminalizing would make sure that young people do not drag criminal records with them for the rest of their lives when we are about to legalize.

The government has just created massive confusion in the justice system. Judges are calling the situation absurd. While the government is talking legalization, the courts are being forced to convict. Even the Conservative Party now calls for marijuana possession to be removed from the Criminal Code.

Why will the Liberal government continue to hand out criminal records to tens of thousands of mostly young Canadians instead of decriminalizing marijuana now?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to the legalization and strict regulation of marijuana. Simply decriminalizing will not achieve the objectives of keeping it out of the hands of children and keeping the proceeds out of the hands of criminals.

We have committed to introduce legislation in the spring of 2017. In that intervening period, we will engage with experts in the health area, public safety, justice, and law enforcement to ensure that we proceed in an orderly manner that will achieve the objectives we are committed to achieving.

Consumer Protection

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in that intervening time, thousands of mostly young Canadians will have criminal records they will drag with them the rest of their lives. That is the problem.

Canada's big banks are once again making record profits and as a result are lowering bank fees. No, wait. That is not true. That would make too much sense. Actually, they are raising fees for Canadians to have access to their own money. There are tens of billions of dollars in profits for the banks and Canadians are paying the price. What is the government planning to do to reel in these ridiculous increases in bank fees?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, as we went across the country during our pre-budget consultations, we heard from Canadians and we heard the financial pressure that Canadians are feeling. That is why we reduced taxes for the middle class and we introduced the Canada child benefit.

Let me be clear to the member. We are paying close attention to this issue. As the member knows well, the Government of Canada does not regulate the day-to-day operations of financial institutions. We are committed to financial literacy, and we will continue to invest to make sure that Canadians can make the choices they have to when it comes to financial matters.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals heard from Canadians but they actually have to listen, because I am sure they did not hear a single Canadian say, “Hey, why don't you increase our bank fees?”

Banks are making billions of dollars in profits, but apparently that is not enough and they are colluding to raise their bank fees at the same time. Meanwhile, the Liberals continue to cut taxes for the big banks, while Canadians continue to pay more than their fair share.

How can the Liberals possibly justify their gifts to large corporations while Canadians are being ripped off, to say the least, when they want to access their own money?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the member that this is the government that introduced measures for the middle class and for hard-working Canadians. What we will do—

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

In French.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

If the member would like to listen, I may answer his question.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

I asked my question in French. In French.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I can answer him in French if he likes, Mr. Speaker.

As I was saying in my response, we are in favour of improving Canadians' financial literacy. The Financial Consumer Agency offers tools and services to help Canadians make good financial decisions in Canada. We will continue working on improving Canadians' financial literacy.

Democratic Reform

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on electoral reform, all the Liberals have done is set up a process made up of politicians, by politicians, and for politicians. Now it turns out that Liberals are even charging Canadians to attend their town halls. What a sham.

At the end of the day, decisions on their democracy should be made directly by Canadians, and not be a fundraising exercise by the Liberals.

Will the Liberals put the politics aside and give Canadians a direct say in a referendum, yes or no?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to be made aware of this development. We will be looking into this matter, but I will remind all members of the House that we are reaching out to Canadians.

The committee is meant to act as a forum for all Canadians. We have a great deal of respect for elected representatives in committees who have done good work on behalf of Canadians for many years, and we look forward to the contributions they will make to the committee's report.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister wants to get to the bottom of it, she does not have to look very far. It is right there on the Liberal website.

When the Liberals set up a process for electoral reform that is all about politicians and political parties and it leaves the final decision in the hands of the Liberal cabinet, that certainly is not in the best interest of Canadians.

When B.C., Ontario, and P.E.I. looked at electoral reform, all three of them held referendums. Three-quarters of Canadians are demanding one, so will the Liberals hold a referendum, yes or no?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I have yet to hear a constructive suggestion from the party opposite on ways to modernize our democratic institutions.

I do wish that the all-party committee will act as a forum for collaborative and co-operative work, and the member opposite will consider contributing meaningfully to that committee's work.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we will talk about it. This weekend, I spent hours trying to find one debate during the election campaign where the leaders debated the issue of electoral reform. I found nothing. I took out my own personal notes to see whether a single citizen spoke to me about this issue: I had absolutely nothing on this. I called some colleagues, I even spoke to two former Liberal candidates to find out whether constituents spoke to them about this: nothing. The public was never informed about the voting methods that they want to change, and all to the benefit of the Liberal Party.

Can the minister confirm that all Canadians will get to have a say through a referendum?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the member opposite who spent his weekend watching television, I was out talking to my constituents.

My constituents heard from our party, loud and clear, during the longest campaign in modern Canadian history. We had plenty of opportunity to talk about our 32 commitments to a more open and transparent government.

Canadians—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. I do not think many of us actually know what other members were doing during the weekend, and we probably should not speculate. Let us stick to the focus of the topic. I remind members that questions are often provocative, and they are supposed to be here; that is okay. Most members in all parties are able to hear the responses without reacting, so let us do that.

The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, you are right. I will not lower myself to that type of comment in the House.

In this case, the Liberals seem to be playing poker at a VIP table that Canadians are not allowed to play at. According to the Prime Minister, the rules of the game are too complex, so Canadians should not be involved. The Liberals are using partisan tactics. They are analyzing the situation, passing cards to the NDP, and bluffing to hide their intentions from Canadians. Most importantly, they are keeping the referendum card hidden in their back pocket.

When will the Liberals drop their poker face and let all Canadians express their opinion through a referendum?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, electoral reform is a serious matter. It is why we built a table made up of all parties in the House. We went above and beyond the traditional rules in this place to ensure all parties had an opportunity to represent the voices of their constituents. It is up to all 338 members of the House to take our responsibility seriously and ensure that our constituents are represented and heard in this process.