Debates of Jan. 30th, 2017

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Has the government shared its concerns with the American authorities regarding the Trump administration's decision to ban entry to the U.S. for the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie for her question. I hope we can work productively together. I have a great deal of respect for the member.

I would also like to begin by offering my condolences to the victims of yesterday's shooting in Quebec City, as well as to their loved ones. Canadians will stand with them against these hateful acts.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is my duty to work in favour of our economic interests, while at the same time, always asserting our Canadian values.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are alarmed and outraged by President Trump's immigration and travel ban. Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty are the words, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses”, but now it falls to other nations to step up and provide shelter to those fleeing violence and persecution.

Canadians are staunch defenders of human rights who reject a ban based on race, religion, or place of birth. Will Canada do its part and immediately lift the 1,000 application cap on privately sponsored refugees?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the 1,000 cap on refugees only applies to groups of five members. There are other avenues that sponsorship agreement holders and others, the hon. member must know, can use to sponsor privately sponsored refugees.

Our immigration level plan for 2017 includes a historic level of 16,000 spots for refugees. That is something we can be very proud of.

Finance

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a few hours before Christmas, on December 23, the Department of Finance published a document that stated that if nothing changes, Canada is headed toward a $1.5 trillion debt by 2050 and, if nothing changes, we will return to a balanced budget by 2055. The Liberal government is missing its target by 36 years. That is Liberal management. The worst part is that our children and grandchildren will be footing the bill.

My question is simple. For the 15th time, I am asking the Minister of Finance, when will we return to a balanced budget?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the report says that our economy is ideal for the long term. In the meantime, we know that we need to invest in the future to improve our level of growth. The report does not talk about changes to our investments. We have to be careful with our investments in order to improve the economy now and for the future of all Canadians across the country.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, it is clear that the minister has no plan to balance the budget. He does, however, have a plan to make life difficult for our entrepreneurs, the people who create jobs.

The government wants to impose a Liberal carbon tax, a Liberal health care tax, and a medical tax on dental care. The United States, on the other hand, wants to cut taxes on businesses and workers.

Why is the government completely neglecting the Canadian economy?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we want to be clear with Canadians about taxes. We want a system that works for families who are part of the middle class and those who want to join it. Our system must be fair to Canadians. That is what we did by giving nine million Canadians a tax cut when we came to power. We will stick to our agenda to ensure that the system is fair, responsible and effective.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Liberals seem to have something against workers earning just $45,000 a year. Such workers do not earn enough to get anything from the so-called middle-class tax plan, but they do qualify for new carbon taxes on gas, home heating, and electricity.

Today a Dental Association report showed that a worker earning $45,000 a year would pay $1,200 under the new Liberal plan to tax health benefits.

What has the government got against people earning just $45,000 a year?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the very first thing our government did was lower taxes on nine million Canadians. We know it is important that we have a system that is fair, efficient, and responsible.

We announced in budget 2016 a review of our tax system to make sure that it is just that. We will continue on this and assure Canadians that we will come up with a system that is fair, responsible, and efficient so that we can have a system that works for all Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Fair, Mr. Speaker? He thinks it is fair that he has a middle-class plan that does not give anything to people earning just $45,000 a year, a plan that forces such workers to pay higher taxes on home heating, gas, and electricity, and maybe even lose their jobs because the employer cannot afford that tax, and now a new tax on health benefits that could force families to have to buy its own private supplementary plan, which would cost thousands of dollars.

In what universe is such an approach fair to the middle class?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we think it is important to consider the real facts. The real facts are that nine million Canadians had their taxes lowered last year. The real facts are that the Canada child benefit helps nine out of 10 families with children and puts more money in their pockets, significantly more money, on average $2,300 after tax.

We will move forward with the review of the tax system to make sure that we continue to make a difference for Canadians, middle-class Canadians and those people who are working hard to get there.

Public Safety

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it took only one week for the new President of the United States to announce that he is in favour of using torture. Torture is immoral and ineffective. I commend the minister for speaking out against torture every chance he was given. However, here at home, a ministerial directive that allows the use of information obtained by torture is still on the books.

With such a frightening normalization of torture by a Five Eyes ally, will the minister finally repeal this directive, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I have noted, torture is contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is contrary to the Criminal Code. It is contrary to virtually all of the international treaties and conventions to which Canada is a party. Most important, torture is found to be abhorrent by Canadians, and we reject it.

The ministerial directives issued previously, as I have indicated many times in this House, are under review to ensure that they are consistent with the policies and practices of the Government of Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are also with New Brunswickers who are still dealing with the fallout of the ice storm that left 133,000 New Brunswick homes in the dark. Many are still without electricity, heat, and other necessities. Two people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and seven others are seriously injured.

On Friday, the Premier of New Brunswick requested the assistance of the Canadian Armed Forces, who just arrived in Miscou and Lamèque today.

Can the Minister of National Defence explain why it took three days before the troops were sent after the formal request was made by the province?

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

Mr. Speaker, whenever a disaster strikes Canadians, the Canadian Armed Forces is always ready to help.

There is a system in place to allow for the provinces to do their own assessment. We are always ready and prepared to provide support.

As soon as the request was made, the response was there, and we have right now 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces proudly helping Canadians.

[Pat Finnigan, Liberal, Miramichi—Grand Lake, NB]

Mr. Speaker, as was said by my colleague across the aisle, last Wednesday, January 25, the east coast, mainly New Brunswick, was hit with its worst ice storm in history. Thousands of homes and businesses, including many from coastal and first nations communities, are still without power today.

Canadians who have gone through similar experiences know how devastating this can be and what an anxious time it is for those going through such a disaster. The situation is critical and the conditions will only deteriorate as the temperatures drop over the next few days.

Can the minister please update this House on this emergency situation?

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

Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of New Brunswick who have suffered the impacts of this storm and particularly with the friends and families of those who lost their lives.

On Saturday we received and accepted a request for assistance from the provincial government, and Canadian Armed Forces members are now proudly engaged in the emergency response effort. Our government will continue to support the people of New Brunswick, both in the immediate term and throughout the process of recovery.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for years Canada's intelligence services have warned that China is trying to steal Canadian advanced technology.

In 2015, our Conservative government ordered Chinese divestment of ITF, a Quebec high-tech company, on national security grounds. Three months ago, as the Liberals rushed to satisfy Chinese demands at every level, coincidental with the Prime Minister's cash-for-access events and the Chinese billionaires' shopping spree, the Liberals cancelled the Conservative cabinet's divestment order. Why?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, the member understands that all foreign investments in Canada are screened for national security in accordance with the Investment Canada Act.

This rigorous process is undertaken in consultation with the government's national security agencies, so any decision we make is done in conjunction with the guidelines provided by the national security advisers.

I can assure the member and this House that any decision we take going forward will be in the best national interest of our country.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is not just any Canadian company. ITF has worked with Canada's Communications Security Establishment, the National Research Council, and the Department of National Defence.

ITF's various technology applications have military applications. More than a quarter of the Hong Kong company is held by a Chinese state-owned enterprise. We know minority ownership by Beijing means control by Beijing.

Again, why are the Liberals risking Canadian national security to play up to the Chinese communist government?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, we will never compromise our national security. We will never compromise our national interest. Any decision we make will be to the benefit of all Canadians.

I can also tell the member opposite that we have increased transparency by publishing national security review guidelines and information on national security reviews in the IC annual report. This will help investors and Canadian businesses in planning investments while maintaining our authority to take action to protect national security.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, when the Prime Minister was asked at a town hall why the Liberals opposed Wynn's law, he said that he did not know anything about the bill, a bill that has been before Parliament for more than a year and that his cabinet, presumably, has vetted.

It begs the question, just how many other decisions of his cabinet is the Prime Minister in the dark about?

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

Mr. Speaker, certainly with respect to Wynn's law, the private member's bill the member is referring to, we want to acknowledge and recognize the suffering that has been caused with respect to the loss in Alberta.

We are committed to reforming the criminal justice system to improve the efficiencies and the effectiveness of that system. We recognize that there is a need for information at bail hearings, and we are committed to the objectives of this bill. That is why we are working very collaboratively with our partners in the provinces and territories, the steering committee, to ensure that the efficiencies—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The member for St. Albert—Edmonton.