House of Commons Hansard #215 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was east.
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would simply say to them that the previous government spent $750 million on promoting its brand when it was in power.
We are taking a much more targeted approach, one that is very responsible with taxpayers dollars. We took the exact same approach in our last two budgets, and spent half as much as the previous government spent on its budget.
I am very proud of our record.
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary just talked about a targeted approach. The hon. members on the government side know a lot about targeting small business owners, targeting middle-class Canadians, and targeting people who are struggling to make ends meet. That is their targeted approach.
When will the Liberals understand that the blind trust they have in the Minister of Finance is misplaced?
Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, a targeted approach was raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% to lower them for nine million Canadians, a measure the Conservatives voted against. A targeted approach was making the Canada child benefit more progressive, reducing child poverty by 40% in the country, a measure they voted against. A targeted approach is one that has grown this economy at its fastest rate for the last decade, that has reduced unemployment to its lowest rate in the last nine years, and that has created 437,000 jobs, most of them full time. That is a targeted approach that is working.
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Speaker, the allegations of widespread fraud committed against the people of Kashechewan raises serious questions about the operating culture in the Minister of Health's office.
Joe Crupi is alleged, among other things, to have stolen a million dollars from a breakfast program in a community so poor the kids do not have a school, yet her officials protected his access despite the warning bells from the Attorney General and the RCMP. Now her lawyers are going after Crupi for the money, but that was money stolen from the mouths of children.
What steps will she take to make it right for the children of Kashechewan and right for the people of Canada?
Don Rusnak LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services
Mr. Speaker, it is completely unacceptable when public funds intended for indigenous peoples are misappropriated. The consulting group in question was involved in a third party agreement with Health Canada and the Kashechewan Health Services board between 2010 and 2015. Once the department was made aware of an RCMP investigation into the consulting group, it conducted an audit of its agreements with the company. The department is now exploring its options to recover the funds that were found to be misappropriated. The department has taken corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again.
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Métis and non-status found out last week that they were not included in the government's sixties scoop survivors' settlement. This betrayal has caused great pain to Métis and non-status survivors, who were no less part of the sixties scoop.
How can we truly achieve reconciliation when Métis and non-status are being told by the Liberals that they do not exist and that their suffering is not worthy of recognition and compensation? Why were the Métis and non-status intentionally excluded?
Carolyn Bennett LiberalMinister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the sixties scoop is a dark and painful chapter in Canada's history. This agreement, in principle, represents the first step in resolving this issue. We know there are other claims that remain unresolved, including those of the Métis and non-status. We remain committed to working with all indigenous people affected by the sixties scoop to resolve these remaining litigations by negotiation.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, there are reports that the parliamentary secretary announced the government's true position at an event in Washington when he mentioned there would be “room to negotiate” on supply management. This government keeps selling out the farmers in my riding, Lac Saint-Jean, and Quebec as a whole to accommodate Washington. It is plain to see that this government is all too willing to bow and scrape to the United States.
Will the Prime Minister confirm for our farmers that he plans to use them as a bargaining chip, despite claims that supply management is not on the table?
Andrew Leslie LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)
Mr. Speaker, we have always defended supply management. It is a system that works. Protecting supply management is important for us, to Canadian consumers, and for dairy and agricultural industries across the country. I believe in supply management, as does everybody in the House—oh wait, except for members of the Conservative Party.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, dairy farmers in Lévis—Lotbinière, Bellechasse, Lac Saint-Jean, and all across Quebec are worried. The parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. relations announced that there is “room to negotiate” on the issue of opening up supply management. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had to contradict him to hush up the whole business.
Will the Liberal government confirm for our farmers that the parliamentary secretary laid out the Liberals' true position and that they are preparing to open up supply management to accommodate Washington?
Andrew Leslie LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)
Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the aisle are committed to protecting the supply management system. We agree with the idea that every person should be free to make their own decisions, but I believe everyone in this House supports supply management, except the Conservative Party.
Dean Allison Conservative Niagara West, ON
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals think Canadians farmers are listening, they claim they are defending them at the NAFTA negotiations. However, in Washington, behind closed doors, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations) said that Canada had “room to negotiate” on supply management.
Protecting our agricultural sector should not be negotiable. How can Canadian farmers trust the government to defend supply management in public in Canada, when behind closed doors, in secret, in Washington, it is something different?
Andrew Leslie LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)
Mr. Speaker, actually I was there and it was on a TV panel, and I did not say the words ascribed to me.
I will make the point that we have always defended supply management. It is a system that works. Everyone on this side of the House, everyone in the House, indeed, supports supply management, with the exception of a significant portion of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, the B.C. Coroners Service announced last week that the province's death toll from suspected overdose now stood at 1,013, more than the entire number recorded during 2016.
We know this is an urgent public health crisis. Could the Minister of Health tell us what she is doing to address this deadly epidemic?
Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his advocacy on this issue. Our government has been very clear that this is a national public health crisis in Canada, and we are responding in a way that is collaborative, compassionate, and comprehensive.
In addition to passing Bill C-37, which streamlines the application process for supervised consumption sites, we are also providing over $10 million in urgent support to British Columbia to assist with its response to the opioid crisis.
Our government will continue to bring forward evidence-based solutions to help save lives in Canada.
Phil McColeman Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Late last Friday the minister quietly announced that he was severely cutting the number of wreaths to be distributed for Remembrance Day ceremonies. With all of the extravagant and unnecessary spending that the government is involved in, why is it that commemorations to honour the sacrifice of Canadian veterans are the first things to get cut?
What was the minister thinking when he signed off on this shameful idea?
Veterans AffairsOral Questions
St. John's South—Mount Pearl Newfoundland & Labrador
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs
Mr. Speaker, let me be blunt that there will no depriving any member of the wreaths that he or she may lay at a cenotaph or at a monument in his or her riding. In fact, every member in the House, as always, will be allotted at least two. If you need more, all you have to do is ask us and we would be happy to give you as many as you need.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please. I want to remind the hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs that when we say “you” around here, it refers to the Speaker. I do not think he wants to just refer to the Speaker. I would ask him to remember to direct his comments to the Chair in the future.
The hon. member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert.
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Speaker, for 18 months, the Minister of Canadian Heritage consulted with all the stakeholders of our cultural ecosystem without ever listening to them. All the stakeholders were clear: our culture is on the line here and now. However, the minister did not listen. She chose to offload the hard decisions on the CRTC, which will get to it in June 2018. Come on, this is an emergency!
Furthermore, Le Devoir revealed on Friday that even the deputy minister warned the minister that giving a free pass to web giants was not viable. However, the minister did not listen to him either.
Does the minister only listen to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and lobbyists, or does she ever only listen to herself, in the end?
Sean Casey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, our government is proud to have announced its vision for the future of creative industries.
These industries provide quality employment to over 630,000 Canadians. Through our new economic strategy, we are committing to support families across the country. Thanks to Creative Canada, we are going to amend our policies to help our cultural creators and entrepreneurs face the challenges of today's digital age. This approach will help Canadians share their creations on the international stage.
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Mr. Speaker, the global economy is undergoing major changes. More and more, countries are leveraging their unique specialties and capabilities and focusing on developing their expertise in these sectors. Canada has a number of sectors that are rich in talent and economic capacity, where it is well-positioned to be a leader.
We must take full advantage of the changing global priorities and create jobs for the future now to ensure a strong foundation for the next generation of Canadians. Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development please explain to the House the steps the government is taking?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, as the member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook well knows, part of our innovations skills plan was to introduce superclusters. This initiative was about growing the economy and creating jobs. This is a $950-million investment to create up to five superclusters and is really about collaboration. I saw that first-hand when I travelled across the country to identify the short list for this initiative.
I can say right now this is a business-led initiative. We had over 1,000 businesses participate, and over 350 partners including 100 academic institutions. This is good for the economy and good for jobs.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice claims to support mandatory sentences for serious offences. However, Liberal MPs voted to defeat a Conservative amendment to Bill C-46 to provide for a five-year mandatory sentence for impaired drivers who kill.
Was the minister insincere when she claimed that she supports mandatory sentences for serious offences or does the minister believe that impaired driving causing death is not a serious offence?
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, as I said many times, the Prime Minister is asking to do a broad review of the criminal justice system. I am undertaking that in partnership with the provinces and territories. Review of mandatory minimum penalties in the Criminal Code is a substantive part of that review.
I hope to bring forward changes in the near future with respect to impaired driving. We are doing everything we can to ensure safety on our roads. That is why we introduced substantive legislation by way of Bill C-45, to ensure that we have as much safety on our roads and to ensure that people do not get behind the wheel of their car and drive with alcohol or drugs.
Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC
Mr. Speaker, what we have before us is a government of bad ideas and broken promises that always seem to hurt ordinary Canadians, a government that is incapable of going after the major players. We saw that with this government's attempt to weaken the Consumer Protection Act, give special privileges to Netflix, and tax employee discounts for those earning minimum wage. Now we have the small business tax reform.
Instead of holding a press conference to frantically announce that he is going to make an announcement, why does the minister not simply put off his reform and do something that makes sense?