House of Commons Hansard #83 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was information.

Topics

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to negotiate a new health accord with the provinces, but they did not tell us their plan would look exactly the same as the one imposed by Stephen Harper.

Now B.C.'s Liberal health minister is accusing the government of having a very Conservative mindset. That is not something to be proud of, but thankfully, it is curable.

Will the Liberals abandon Stephen Harper's funding cuts, quit using Conservative talking points, and negotiate fairly with the provinces to protect Canada's public health care system?

HealthOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Markham—Stouffville Ontario

Liberal

Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Speaker, to compare the approach of this government with the approach of the previous Conservative government on the matter of federal-provincial-territorial relations on health is a misrepresentation of the facts.

I am meeting with my counterparts. I already met with them in January. I have been given direction from the Prime Minister to negotiate a new health accord with the provinces and territories. That was not done by the previous government.

We will do that. We will work in collaboration with the provinces and territories. We will invest in health, and ensure that Canadians get the help they need.

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's friends were given so much money that they seem to have lost track of it all.

After getting caught red-handed, the Prime Minister's best friend and his chief of staff admitted that some expenses were unreasonable. They claimed they were not aware of all the costs, but now the moving company is saying that it briefed them on all costs.

Will the Prime Minister's friends tell the truth for once and stop taking Canadians for fools?

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Fisheries

Mr. Speaker, I see that my colleague opposite is on a fishing expedition. Allow me to respond.

He knows full well that Brookfield apologized for providing erroneous information. He may not have heard the response we gave his predecessor. He may have had to change the question. We know how faithfully our friends across the way followed the orders of Mr. Harper's chief of staff, Guy Giorno.

We are inspired by his encouraging words about this program, but we are going to improve it and that is why the Prime Minister instructed the President of the Treasury Board to review the program.

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC

Mr. Speaker, with the Liberals, you get more than you bargained for.

When Canadians send their money to Ottawa, they expect it to be managed carefully. They do not want the brush-off. The Prime Minister's friends feigned ignorance, but now that we know they were well aware of all the expenses they claimed, Canadians have every reason to wonder if there is anything else the Prime Minister is hiding.

Canadians deserve their government's respect, so will it come right out and tell us what other unreasonable expenses it is hiding from Canadians in the hope of not getting caught?

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Beauséjour New Brunswick

Liberal

Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Fisheries

Mr. Speaker, I will take this opportunity to share with my colleague something that his former boss, Guy Giorno, said about the relocation program:

The federal relocation program—which applies to hundreds of moves annually, including moves by employees of government, military and RCMP—exists for a very good reason. The purpose is to ensure that those who relocate because of federal employment are made whole financially.

Nevertheless, we think that the program the former government approved needs to be reviewed, and that is what my colleague is doing.

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:40 p.m.

Conservative

Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Immigration first responded to my Order Paper question, instantly the response was that none of his staff got any money for moving expenses. However, when he was caught with his hand in the U-Haul—I mean in the cookie jar—all of a sudden he remembered that he had okayed the expenses to move one of his staff all the way from Thailand. Can the minister explain his lapse of memory and judgment?

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Markham—Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, we did make a commitment to Canadians to be open and transparent. Quite the opposite of what the member just said, it was nine long months ago that we recorded this expense through proactive disclosure. I discovered only yesterday that we had entered the expense under the wrong column. I immediately corrected that point in the House, and I immediately supplied a new answer to the question. We disclosed that expenditure nine months ago. Nothing at all was ever hidden from Canadians.

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Conservative

Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON

Mr. Speaker, all of a sudden we have another minister of cover-up.

Like my own memory sometimes, I believe the minister's memory seems to be past its best before date. I mean that, of course, in a very comforting way.

However, to be serious here, does the minister really think it is appropriate to move one of his staff from Thailand to Ottawa and then expect the taxpayer to pay for it?

Government ExpendituresOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Markham—Thornhill Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, I will not claim a perfect memory either, but I would certainly say it is entirely appropriate that when one hires a staff person or a consultant and the person is in Thailand, yes the government pays for the transport of that individual to Ottawa and for the relevant hotel expenses. That is precisely what we did and precisely what we disclosed to the public nine months ago. To say that we were hiding anything is entirely ridiculous.

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, although the minister announced that there would be consultations on changes to the rules governing the political activities of charitable organizations, we have learned that the agency is continuing the witch hunt launched by the Conservatives against these organizations, and that 12 organizations are still under investigation. What a contradiction.

How can the minister justify the fact that the agency is still investigating these organizations when she has admitted that the rules are not clear and that they must be clarified? In view of a consultation on changing the rules, will the minister put a stop to all unfair investigations of charitable organizations, yes or no?

Canada Revenue AgencyOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Québec

Liberal

Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that charitable organizations play a key role in our society, and I am committed to being responsive to the needs of this sector. Therefore, I am proud to have announced the official launch of our consultations to clarify charitable organizations' involvement in political activities.

Our government knows that it must work with this sector. That is what we promised, and that is what we will do.

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Mr. Speaker, the government cannot seem to get its story straight when it comes to its decision to fight a residential school survivor in court. Yesterday the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs assured the House that if government lawyers were involved, it was only to help ensure they get justice. Justice department lawyers are in the Ontario Superior Court fighting against compensation to a victim of a “perverse” misapplication of justice. The Prime Minister promised to put an end to this.

Will the justice minister please explain to the indigenous affairs minister why her officials are trying to stop this survivor from getting justice in court?

Indigenous AffairsOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Labrador Newfoundland & Labrador

Liberal

Yvonne Jones LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to ensuring justice for all victims of this dark chapter of our history. We are concerned about any possibility that some deserving victims may have been denied compensation. We uphold the Indian residential school settlement process, and members know that. We also protect the integrity of the independent assessment process and we will continue to do so on behalf of all indigenous people.

Access to InformationOral Questions

2:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Universal Access to Information, whose objective is to make people aware of their right to access information held by government institutions and to promote freedom of information as the basis for democracy and good governance.

Could the President of the Treasury Board please explain to the House the government's commitment to openness and transparency?

Access to InformationOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Right to Know Day.

Our government is committed to openness and transparency. I have issued a directive that enshrines the principle that government information should be open by default.

We will soon introduce a bill that will enhance the Access to Information Act, as we promised. We will then conduct a comprehensive review of the act in order to update it so it better serves Canadians.

JusticeOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased yesterday afternoon that all members of the House of Commons agreed with the Conservative Party that Atlantic Canada should be represented on the Supreme Court, but then a spokesperson for the justice minister stated that it would not be guaranteed. Why would the Liberals flip-flop on this important issue?

I checked last night and there was no election. So why are the Liberals changing their mind on this?

JusticeOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Vancouver Granville B.C.

Liberal

Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Mr. Speaker, again I am pleased to stand up to speak about the new process that the Prime Minister has introduced for appointing the next Supreme Court justice. We are committed to respecting the custom of regional representation, functional bilingualism, diversity, and ensuring that we have the highest calibre of jurist to be the next Supreme Court of Canada justice. I am appreciative of the independent, nonpartisan advisory board that is assisting us in this process. I look forward to assisting the Prime Minister in making this most important appointment.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC

Mr. Speaker, time is marching on and the uncertainty continues. The Liberal government is showing a distinct lack of leadership when it comes to the extradition treaty and negotiations with China. It is rather funny how the Liberals become so much less open and transparent on critical, sensitive files.

The Prime Minister is saying one thing and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is saying another.

Can the two talk to each other and tell us the truth, please?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to congratulate my colleague on being appointed deputy critic for foreign affairs.

I would also like to tell the members of the opposition that, for the past two weeks, they have been asking questions about something that does not exist. The Prime Minister never said anything about negotiations. The Canada-China joint communiqué issued on September 12, 2016, which is public and easily accessible, reads: “start discussions”. There is a huge difference between discussions and negotiations. If my colleague needs clarification on that, my department can give him a briefing.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON

Well, Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. Canadians are still trying to understand the very obvious contradiction between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister over the extradition treaty with China.

The Prime Minister says discussions have begun, his website says that talks have begun, and the Chinese premier says so as well. The only person who did not know seems to have been the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Is he simply out of the loop, is he splitting grammatical hairs, or is he quite properly challenging the Prime Minister on an unwise initiative?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for having been chosen as the spokesperson of his party for foreign affairs. I also want to congratulate him that he has seen the light, because now he speaks about discussions. We have noticed that in his questions. He dropped the word “negotiation” that he was using for the last two weeks, and so I congratulate my colleague for that. It is quite an improvement, because today, at this very moment, we are having a discussion together, but we negotiate nothing.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON

Mr. Speaker, on another matter, an international investigation into the downing of Malaysian passenger jet MH17 confirms that the missile that hit the plane was brought into Ukraine from Russia and fired from Russian-backed rebel territory. Evidence reveals that the launcher then returned to Russia.

Given that two Canadians were among the 298 who died in the attack, will the minister now clearly condemn Russia for its unrepentant military aggression that has taken thousands of lives and displaced almost one million people in eastern Ukraine?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:50 p.m.

Saint-Laurent Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I fully agree with what my colleague said. In fact, there was an official declaration done by the Government of Canada, and we are willing to start reading it in the House.

Today, as we consider the interim findings of the independent joint investigation team into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, we are reminded of the unspeakable suffering caused by this tragic attack. The interim findings made clear that the Russian-made Buk missile was fired from rebel-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. In a nutshell, the declaration clearly condemns it.

Rail TransportationOral Questions

2:55 p.m.

NDP

Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps telling us that rail safety is the number one priority. However, based on what he has done on this file, I cannot imagine how little would be done on files that are not a priority.

Communities are concerned because dangerous goods are being transported without any consultation or environmental assessment. Communities such as Lac-Mégantic want their voices to be heard in order to prevent any more tragedies.

Will the minister agree to strengthen the regulations and environmental assessments in order to improve rail safety in Canada?