Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2016

Foreign Affairs

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is a real shame to see the extent to which people are willing to play politics with the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world. This government recognizes that acknowledging genocide should be done on the basis of extraordinary facts and wise counsel internationally, not just on political grandstanding by members like the member opposite.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once said that the Chinese dictatorship is something that he admired. We now learn that that was not a slip of the tongue.

It is a fundamental principle of Canadian democracy that one does not send people to be tortured or killed. Canadians agree on that. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch confirm the systematic use of torture and frequent executions in China.

The immigration minister sees the profound moral problem of an extradiction treaty with China. Why does the Prime Minister not?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what this renewed and stable relationship with China allows for is an airing of concerns and difficulties faced by both countries. The fact that we now have an ongoing dialogue in which we can highlight concerns we have about consular cases, and indeed, in some cases, resolve them, and the fact that the Chinese can bring up issues they have requests or questions about is what a strong relationship is all about.

As I have reassured Canadians many times, as I have said to the Chinese leadership, and as I am happy to say in the House, Canada has very strong principles around the rule of law, around extradition treaties, and we will not bend those principles for anyone.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is that guarantee worth if it comes from a dictatorship that abuses human rights?

China is a dictatorship. It does not respect the rule of law. According to groups like Amnesty International, the country systematically violates human rights, yet the Prime Minister does not see a problem with extraditing people to China.

If China promises not to harm anyone it wants deported, will that be enough for the Prime Minister of Canada?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, we need a relatively strong relationship to discuss all sorts of issues with the Chinese government.

The reality is that our discussions on consular, economic, and human rights issues have already paid off. The reality is that we have a relationship that enables us to hear the questions and concerns of the people of China, while defending and upholding our human rights principles and protecting the values that are so dear to us here in Canada. That is what we will always do.

Indigenous Affairs

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to establish a genuine nation-to-nation relationship with Canada's indigenous peoples. He also signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. That means extensive consultations and accommodations are a must.

How can the Prime Minister clear the way for the Site C project when the indigenous rights issue is before the courts? Is that what he calls a respectful relationship?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect us to engage in a renewed relationship with first nations, with indigenous peoples, and that is exactly what we are doing. We committed to holding consultations. We want to understand their concerns and work with them to open up economic opportunities that will benefit them.

We will continue to honour the process and partner with indigenous peoples to build and create a better future for them. That is what Canadians expect, and that is what we are doing.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, indigenous people in B.C. say that they are heartbroken by the Site C betrayal, and it is not difficult to understand why.

The Minister of Justice said that the government was “running roughshod over aboriginal title rights”, but now she has been silenced.

Instead we have the fisheries minister saying that it is actually the responsibility of BC Hydro to hold consultations and respect indigenous rights.

Will the Prime Minister assume the responsibility to consult instead of bulldozing aboriginal rights?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to respect the concerns indigenous peoples have on a wide range of issues, because we continue to listen, consult, and work in partnership with them.

We know that we need to move forward on both protecting environmental stability and on protecting economic growth. Canadians expect that. Indigenous Canadians expect that. We will continue to work with the kind of respect we have always shown towards indigenous Canadians.

Government Spending

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that the exorbitant moving expenses for two employees in the Prime Minister's Office were for the chief of staff and the Prime Minister's best friend. Knowing how much was spent does not make it more acceptable. Having the right to claim something does not give anyone the right to abuse taxpayers' dollars and spend recklessly.

How can the Prime Minister justify these expenses to Canadian families?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, the government has had a relocation policy for public servants and political staff since the 1970s. The current rules were written in 2008. In the cases in question, the vast majority of the costs had to do with legal and real estate sales fees.

When it comes to the higher expense claims coming from the Prime Minister's Office, the vast majority of the costs pertained to real estate and legal fees, and the claims were made in accordance with the regulations.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when this government claimed that it would be open and transparent, Canadians families did not expect it to openly waste their money.

With all due respect to the Liberal Party, giving over $200,000 to an employee and a friend of the Prime Minister is completely unacceptable. It was unacceptable in the time of the sponsorships and it is still unacceptable.

When will the Prime Minister understand that Canadian families' money is not his money?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, we built a team of passionate, hard-working, extremely qualified Canadians to deliver the change that Canadians voted for.

Some people had to sell their home and move with their families and children to Ottawa. Any relocation was done in accordance with the relevant rules and directives.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we learned yesterday that the over $200,000 the Prime Minister signed off on was to move his two closest friends here to Ottawa, spending over $200,000 to do so. His excuse, his justification, was “the rules made me do it”. That is not sufficient.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Does he think it is appropriate to spend over $200,000 to move two people from Toronto to Ottawa?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, we built a team of passionate, hard-working, extremely qualified Canadians to deliver the change Canadians voted for.

The government has had a relocation policy for public servants and ministerial staff since the 1970s. The current rules in place were written in 2008 and have been followed by every minister's office since. Any relocation was done in accordance with the guidelines.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, those rules came into effect in 2004, under Paul Martin. Regardless, that answer is not good enough.

The Prime Minister's own letter to his cabinet instructs them to use taxpayers' dollars with the utmost care and prudence.

Again I ask the Prime Minister, is using over $200,000 to move two people from Toronto to Ottawa using taxpayers' dollars with the utmost care and prudence?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, in the same document the member has quoted, it also states that this government has raised the bar on transparency. We will continue to raise the bar. Let me remind Canadians that any relocation was done in accordance with the guidelines.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is that why we had to go to The Globe and Mail to actually find out these answers? Canadians want to know why Liberals gave $1.1 million to Liberal friends. The justice minister doled out $114,000, and the foreign affairs minister forked out another $146,000. Worse still, the Prime Minister gave his millionaire friends $200,000 to move from Toronto to Ottawa. When will the Liberals tell us exactly how they justify spending this money?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, the rules that are in place were written by the previous government. What I find kind of fascinating is the Conservative criticism of the rules that they themselves drafted while in government.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to try this again.

It should not be too surprising that the Prime Minister's best friends learned how to stick taxpayers with the bill. After all, Gerry Butts and Katie Telford learned directly from the Wynne/McGuinty Liberals.

In the race to spend and misuse taxpayer money, the Prime Minister is clearly now in the lead. When will the Prime Minister explain how he justified giving his best friend Gerry $126,000?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, the government has had a relocation policy for public servants and ministerial staff since the 1970s. It is important to note that these are the same rules that also apply to the military, the RCMP, and the public service. Any relocation was done in accordance with the guidelines.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Pierre-Luc Dusseault, NDP, Sherbrooke, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on the heels of the Panama papers, there has been another leak of information involving Canadian banks and companies. Apparently, the minister's strategy is not working. We have a new government, but still no action to combat tax havens. Canada currently has a tax information exchange agreement with the Bahamas. However, it does not appear to be working.

Following yesterday's revelations, does the Minister of National Revenue plan to review the agreement to ensure that there really is an effective exchange of information that will allow Canada to get tough on tax cheats once and for all?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance and making sure that we have a system that is fair for all Canadians.

Let me be very clear. Most middle-class Canadians pay their fair share of taxes, but a few wealthy individuals are not doing the same, and that must stop. That is why our government invested $444 million to give the CRA the best tools to combat tax evasion.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, these are the answers from last year, not from this Parliament.

New records from the Bahamas are showing that three of Canada's big banks are setting up thousands of offshore companies in well-known tax havens: Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Isle of Man, Panama, and now the Bahamas. We have tax agreements with all of them, and we are supposed to get this information from all of them, but instead we are getting it from media leaks. Enough of the same old platitudes. Can the minister finally get to the root of the problem on tax havens?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is working with our international partners to address this threat, and that co-operation will continue.

We will continue to gather and share more and more data. The Canada Revenue Agency is processing the information coming out of the Bahamas in co-operation with its partners and through court orders, as needed.