Debates of June 15th, 2016

Foreign Affairs

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform the House that today the parliament of Sweden rejected the same kind of motion by a vote of 268 to 43.

Facing the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. I would ask the hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis to exercise some restraint.

We are trying to hear the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

It is good to see, Mr. Speaker, that there are responsible parliaments that want the assessment of genocide to be done properly by an independent court.

I am proud of the House of Commons and the vote we had yesterday. We are proud.

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canada used to be a moral leader. Are we now following Sweden?

The European Union parliament said that ISIS is committing genocide. The American Congress unanimously said that all governments should call ISIL atrocities genocide. The U.K. parliament unanimously recognized that genocide is being perpetrated.

Why is the minister denying the genocide that ISIS itself admits it is committing?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the EU parliament is not being followed by any parliament in Europe, but the U.K. The government of the U.K. has said the same thing we said, that the proper way to do it is to follow the motion proposed by the Liberal member.

This motion said that it must be done by an independent body to determine if it is really a genocide. That is the proper way to do it, not the way the Conservatives want to do it. No one government is following the way they want to do it.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Most members have the ability to listen to things, whether they like them or not, and not respond. I think we should be able to set an example to, for instance, young people who come here, especially in the spring, to watch Parliament, and show them an example of how adults can behave even when they do not like what they are hearing.

I would ask the member for Battle River—Crowfoot and others to try to restrain themselves.

The hon. member for Calgary Midnapore has the floor.

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the British Parliament, American Congress, and European Parliament have all passed unanimous motions.

Secretary Kerry said, “Daesh is responsible for genocide”, and “Daesh is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology, and by actions—in what it says, what it believes, and what it does.”

Our Prime Minister said that to recognize it would be to trivialize it. What this government's genocide denial is doing is trivializing the suffering of these people and their attempted extermination.

Is the government not just covering up for its ending the combat role of Canada against those responsible?

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, if members want to hear a responsible motion on this issue, I will read the one by the member for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs.

It says, “That the Government of Canada continue its efforts to have these atrocities properly investigated and, where appropriate, referred to the International Criminal Court to formally determine the existence of genocide and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice”.

This is a responsible motion.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the gap between the rich and all other Canadians is growing and the rampant use of tax havens is further widening this gap.

The rich and the well-connected continue to get away with this, while the government continues to dodge the issue of tax evasion.

Now we learn that the significant delay in the court case against KPMG was approved by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Why is the minister refusing to take a stand on tax evasion?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the agency is investigating taxpayers who participated in KPMG's schemes. Our massive investment will help us stop the people who promote such schemes.

As my colleague knows, complex cases before the courts can encounter delays, particularly to allow time to produce evidence. The agency is doing everything it can to ensure that the case is dealt with in a timely manner.

Our government is committed to preserving the integrity of the tax system. I cannot say it enough, but the net is tightening.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, unlike Liberals, New Democrats and most Canadians believe even the wealthy and well-connected should pay their fair share of taxes.

Just last week a federal court judge reprimanded the Liberals for delays and foot-dragging on a case of KPMG-linked offshore tax cheats. Tax havens rob Canadians of resources to pay for the services we need. They make growing inequality even worse.

When will the government stop defending inaction and sweetheart deals, and when will Liberals act to defend the fairness of our tax system?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the agency is currently before the courts to obtain the list of participants in KPMG's schemes. I would caution my colleague to be careful.

Budget 2016 provides the agency with the means to combat tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. As Minister of National Revenue, that is my priority and that of my government. All Canadians must respect their obligations. That is what we are working toward.

National Defence

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there are new and very troubling allegations today surrounding the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan.

Let me quote the Prime Minister from 2009 when he spoke on this issue. He said, “We need to get at the truth. The international reputation of Canada and our military is at stake.”

Does the Prime Minister still believe this? Will he call a full, independent public inquiry?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government and I take our obligation for human rights in accordance with Canadian and international law very seriously.

There has been a number of investigations and inquiries done. Many feature allegations we take very seriously. We, in the Canadian Armed Forces and our government, will be doing our utmost, making sure that human rights are always at the forefront of what we do.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the question was not just about human rights. The question is about an independent public inquiry. The very day that we learned that Canada is the second-largest exporter of arms to the Middle East, to countries like Saudi Arabia, the Afghan detainee file is back in the news with new allegations by military police officers, no less. The government must take action.

Will the Prime Minister undertake to launch an independent public inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I was just made aware of the article where the allegations were made. We take this very seriously. Our government is committed to upholding our Canadian and international law obligations. My officials will be looking into these allegations, and any allegations that are made. We have a number of institutions in the Canadian Armed Forces that are independent and have the ability to look into these matters.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, documents tabled in the House confirmed what we have been saying all along. The Liberals' capability gap for our CF-18s is imaginary. The Minister of National Defence reported that the Liberals have yet to determine when any of our CF-18s will need to be retired. The minister himself has said the CF-18s will be extended to 2025.

Will the defence minister tell the Prime Minister to put aside his ill-advised campaign promise and hold an open and fair competition?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to replacing our fighters. Because of the mismanagement of this file by the previous government, that is why we are in this state. Yes, there is a capability gap, but we are working toward making sure that we have all the right information and making sure that we have the right fighter for the Canadian Armed Forces.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, again, the only capability gap is on the Liberal bench.

Conservatives wisely budgeted $400 million to extend the life our of CF-18s. Last month, the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force testified that our fighter jets will fly until 2025. Documents tabled yesterday by the minister's representatives confirmed that not one CF-18 has been assigned a retirement date. Will the Minister of National Defence finally admit that his imaginary capability gap is a complete fabrication?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as for taking advice from the previous government, given the fact that it mismanaged the file from the beginning, it should have replaced our fighters a long time ago and then we would not be in this situation. Right now we are extending our CF-18s, and 26 have gone through the process. A lot more work needs to be done, but we would not be here if we had replaced the fighters 10 years ago.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to the information provided to the House by the Minister of National Defence, the retirement date for all the CF-18s has not yet been set. That is more proof that the Liberals have fabricated a capability gap, which exists only on the Liberal bench.

In light of the official, and I stress official, information provided by the government, will the government hold an open competition to replace our CF-18s?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, the CF-18s should have been retired a long time ago. They should have been replaced so that we did not have to spend all this money in extending their lives, so that our men and women in the air force could have the right aircraft for their needs. But we are in this situation. There is a capability gap and our government is working toward replacing them as quickly as possible.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the information in question was tabled in the House by the Department of National Defence at the request of my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman. The documents tabled paint an entirely different picture than the one presented by the Liberals. National Defence does not know when each of our CF-18s will have to be retired from service. There is no capability gap. That is a Liberal invention.

Now that we know that there is time for an open bidding process, will the Liberals hold one?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, 26 aircraft have been extended. We are trying to extend all the aircraft up to 2025. There is a capability gap that does exist. I am happy to talk to some of the members privately on this with a declassified reason behind that. However, we are committed to replacing the fighters and we need to replace them now.