Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2016

Government Spending

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is no laughing matter. The economy is sluggish. Canadians are losing their jobs and having a hard time putting money aside.

What is this government's priority? Reimbursing the moving expenses of two employees of the Prime Minister, one of whom is his best friend.

Now that we know everything we need to know about the Prime Minister's judgment, can the Liberals stop thumbing their noses at everyone? People do not pay taxes to give money to the Prime Minister's best friends. When will they stop wasting Canadians' money?

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

Mr. Speaker, in the case of the higher numbers within the Prime Minister's office, the vast majority of the costs are associated with real estate fees and legal fees and are consistent with the rules.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, they do not get it.

When my constituents talk to me, they speak of things like the economy, jobs, the huge Liberal deficit, and safety. That is what is important to Canadians. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is busy doling out public funds to his friends. Typical Liberal Party behaviour.

Does the Prime Minister realize that he was not elected to reimburse his best friend's moving expenses? Can the Prime Minister start being responsible and show some discipline when it comes to managing money that belongs to Canadian families?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud that we have formed a team of passionate, hardworking, and highly skilled Canadians to give the public the change they voted for. The Canadians who are part of our team helped us and are helping Canadian businesses to grow, innovate, and export to create good jobs and wealth for Canadians.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister owes Canadians and this House some straight answers. He needs to answer for his lack of judgment. The Prime Minister gave over $200,000 in moving expenses to his BFFs. People in Alberta are losing their jobs and homes, yet the Prime Minister gave six-figure relocation payouts to his buddies. Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and justify to struggling Albertans why he thinks his friends deserve these absolutely egregious payouts?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the diverse team we have built. I am proud of the people who have chosen to come and work with our team to ensure that we can advance the mandate Canadians have given us. Let us talk about some of the work that these hard-working Canadians have done. They have helped Canadian businesses to grow, innovate, and create quality jobs and wealth for Canadians. That is exactly the kind of work Canadians expect. That is exactly the kind of work we will continue to do.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they are working hard to oversee 10% unemployment in central Alberta for the first time in decades.

The Prime Minister's BFFs made like bandits, selling their million dollar Toronto homes and raking in over a half a million dollars each personally in profit, yet the Prime Minister personally chose to give $200,000 of taxpayer money to his millionaire friends. The Prime Minister's impaired judgment is astounding and is, frankly, shocking. Can the Prime Minister tell struggling Alberta families exactly why he thinks his entitled millionaire BFFs deserve these outrageous payments?

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

Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of Canadians, Canada's best and brightest, have applied to come and serve in Canada to help deliver the mandate that Canadians voted for. Some people had to sell their homes and move with their families and children to Ottawa. In those instances, the vast majority of those costs had to do with real estate and legal fees. Any relocation was done in accordance with the law. However, let us look at the work that Canadians are doing, that our team is doing. We are working to grow this economy for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Health

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there is an overdose epidemic gripping our nation. This year alone, 2,000 Canadians are expected to die. Stakeholders are unanimous that opening supervised injection sites is one way we can start saving lives immediately, yet the government has refused to amend Conservative legislation that the former Liberal health critic said was designed to block new sites. Will the Liberals listen to the evidence and amend Bill C-2 so that we can take action and start saving Canadians' lives?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I have been working with all of my partners across the country on a comprehensive plan to address the opioid crisis in this country. That includes making sure all of the pillars of drug policy are addressed, including harm reduction. One of the most effective mechanisms of harm reduction is supervised consumption sites. I have instructed my department to make sure there are no unnecessary barriers in place. We are addressing the legislation and look forward to dealing with it appropriately to make sure those sites will be available for Canadians.

Public Services and Procurement

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, people are dying every day and that is a serious matter. The Liberals should honour their commitments now.

While the minister does not have a problem paying a fortune to move his staff, who are his friends, the Liberals are unable to pay the public servants who work tirelessly for Canadians. A report commissioned by the government recommended that the deployment of Phoenix be slowed down. However, the minister did not even read it. Fifty-five thousand public servants are waiting to be paid what they are owed.

Why did the minister not do her homework before the Phoenix system was rolled out in its entirety?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, it is totally unacceptable for any public service employee to go without pay for work performed. That is why we have worked so hard putting in place additional measures to deal with the situation we are facing.

Right now, additional employees have been hired. We have put in place measures to make sure people who face hardships are being helped. We are doing everything we can to fix a problem that is not of the employees' making, but it is one that we will fix.

Public Safety

[Darshan Singh Kang, Liberal, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, during the campaign we committed to making significant improvements to Canada's national security framework by improving existing legislation, strengthening the accountability, and enhancing counter-radicalization efforts.

My question is for the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Can the minister please update the House on the government's efforts to ensure that both our national security and our rights and freedoms are protected?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday I was very pleased to table in this House a national security green paper, which is intended to stimulate public debate as we proceed with unprecedented national security consultations to let Canadians, at long last, have their say about how to keep our country safe and how to safeguard its open, inclusive, and democratic character at the same time. This is in addition to other measures, like the counter-radicalization initiative, parliamentary scrutiny through Bill C-22, and other measures that we will put before this House. This is an absolute priority for our government, and we are moving as quickly as we can.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are still waiting for answers on the Liberal foreign policy flip-flop with China. The immigration minister said in August that Canada would never negotiate an extradiction treaty with China while China maintained the death penalty. Only weeks later, the Liberals timidly announced an agreement to begin negotiations for an extradition treaty.

The Liberals deny that strings were attached to China's sudden, long-overdue release of Kevin Garratt.

Exactly what is the explanation?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, here is the reality, rather than conjecture.

We have announced a high-level national security and rule-of-law dialogue as part of comprehensive discussions on expanding our relationship with China. The U.S. and the U.K. are holding similar dialogues.

Canadian officials have met with their Chinese counterparts to discuss counterterrorism, law enforcement, consular matters, and rule of law; and as part of those discussions, conversations on extradition were held. It was stressed that Canada is governed by very high standards. The promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of Canadian foreign policy.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are well aware of China's imperfect justice system, the rigged trials, the brutal incarceration, the torture, and the executions.

Our allies, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, do not have extradition treaties with China. The Prime Minister naively says that Canada has high standards and rigorous processes, but Canada has no control over what happens in Chinese prisons. The Chinese have many ways of killing prisoners.

Why are the Liberals suddenly humouring China, given its cruel justice system?

[Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of our foreign policy and a key aspect of our relationship with China. Both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs raised human rights concerns with their direct counterparts at every possible opportunity, including the most recent visit to China.

These are not easy conversations to have. They represent a policy of engagement, which is a far cry from the policy of retreat and isolationism of the previous government.

Marijuana

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, again, we are witnessing complete mismanagement by the Liberals with regard to the marijuana file.

Over a year ago, the minister was told that marijuana being sold at illegal dispensaries was laced with both pesticides and fungicides, yet the minister sat on the report and did absolutely nothing. The complete mismanagement on this file and the minister's continual display of horrendous mismanagement is putting Canadians' safety at risk.

I would like the minister to answer for us today. When will she take the safety of Canadians seriously? When will she take action on this file?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, we take the health and safety of Canadians with the utmost seriousness. We have in place a strict regime for access to medical marijuana, which includes testing of products to make sure they are safe and free from contaminants.

There are, however, dispensaries in this country that are illegal. It is not the responsibility of the government to regulate illegal products. We will continue to make sure legal products are safe for consumption, and we will put in place a mechanism to make sure all marijuana is safe for consumption.

Justice

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Supreme Court appointment process is an insult to Atlantic Canada. The Liberals are upending a 141-year constitutional convention guaranteeing Atlantic Canadian representation on the court.

Of the 32 Liberal MPs from Atlantic Canada, is there not one who is prepared to stand up against this Liberal attempt to shut out Atlantic Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand up to speak to the process that we have introduced in terms of Supreme Court of Canada appointments, an open and transparent process that respects the custom of regional representation, that speaks to functional bilingualism, that speaks to appointing and identifying high-quality jurists who will fill the next seat. It also speaks to the principle of diversity.

I look forward to working with the independent advisory board to make recommendations to the Prime Minister, and I know there will be highly qualified jurists on that list from Atlantic Canada.

Steel Industry

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday's announcement of a potential deal to buy U.S. Steel Canada provides light at the end of a long tunnel for thousands of current and former workers in Hamilton, but the deal is far from complete and the federal government needs to do its part.

The Prime Minister promised to help when he needed their votes, but the Liberals have done nothing since to help Hamilton steelworkers and pensioners, with everything on the line.

When will the minister sit down at the negotiations and ensure protections for these jobs and pensions?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very fortunate to work with my colleagues from Hamilton East—Stoney Creek and Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas who have been very engaged on this file.

We have been working very closely with Hamiltonians. We understand the importance of steel and the importance of manufacturing, and it is part of our innovation agenda as well.

We are working very closely to find any solution to advance this agenda. We will make sure that any decision we make will be in the best interests of Hamiltonians.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have abandoned former Stelco workers, and they failed to stand up for the sector against steel dumping.

China's unfair trade practice is hurting Canada's steel industry and putting tens of thousands of good jobs at risk.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and local chambers, like mine in Windsor-Essex, have urged the government to act, but so far the Liberals have only offered hollow words.

With the Chinese premier visiting today, will the Liberals finally act on unfair steel dumping?