Debates of Oct. 2nd, 2017

Taxation

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I met with Carrie. She and her family are fifth generation farmers. They have worked hard and made many sacrifices to keep the farm in the family. Carrie is worried that the Liberal tax changes will make it impossible for her children to take over the family farm some day.

When the minister stood in the House and committed to phoning back every concerned farmer, Carrie took him at his word and left a message, leaving both of her phone numbers. She has never heard back, and she is not alone.

The consultations end today. When did the minister plan to call Carrie and the thousands of farmers who have called him, or is that just another broken Liberal promise?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat in the House that we have been out listening to farmers. I have heard from many farmers. I want to assure them that we are taking their views into account. We know how important the family farm is. We know they are concerned that they can pass it on to the next generation. We are listening to their inputs to make sure we get it right, and I want to assure farmers that they will be in a positive situation to continue their investments in their farms and continue with their families on their farms after these measures move forward.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance's tax reform will have a serious impact on the future of family farms right across the country.

The minister promised to call every farmer in Canada who tried to contact him. We have heard grumbling from every region of the country, so it is not surprising that his voice mail is full.

Will the Minister of Finance extend the consultation period until he has spoken with all the farmers who wish to speak with him, or is that just another broken Liberal promise?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know that it is very important to have a fair tax system, and to listen. That is why I listened to farmers from across the country so that I could learn more about their challenges and their ideas.

What I can tell the farmers from across Canada is that we will consider their opinions, and they will continue to be able to operate their family farms, which is very important. That is what our consultations will find.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, at the finance committee, witnesses said that the Liberal tax changes could cost the average Canadian farmer $70,000 a year. Imposing a carbon tax, eliminating the deferral on cash grain tickets, and now these crippling new tax changes will make it almost impossible for someone to operate a family farm. It seems that the Liberal government looks at hard-working Canadian farm families as nothing more than wealthy tax cheats. That is simply not true.

The minister promised to call our farmers back. Will he commit today to extend the consultation period on these unfair tax changes so he can keep that promise?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, there is only one thing I would like to tell my hon. colleague. Farmers in this country are not tax cheats, and that was an inappropriate statement by the member.

What we want to do is to create a system that is fair. We understand the importance of the agricultural sector in our country; just look at the budget. Being a farmer, I understand how important the tax changes are and how important it is that farmers be able to invest dollars so they can expand their business, repair their machinery, and build buildings to make sure they continue to expand. That is what this government has done and will continue to do.

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is great for the agriculture minister to get up and yell in here, but he needs to talk to the person a few steps down from here to pass on that message.

The finance minister stood in the House and said he would be happy to return the phone calls of any of my constituents who passed on their phone number. Literally thousands of Alberta farmers have passed on their contact information. How many of these has the finance minister contacted? Zero. It is another broken promise by the Liberal government.

Canadian farmers are angry. The consultation period ends today and they feel that their voices have not been heard. Will the finance minister make those calls?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Finance has clearly answered that question. He has indicated that he has listened to farmers. We had consultations. The Minister of Finance and our government fully understand the importance of agriculture in our country, and he understands that farmers want to invest. They want to be able to invest in their properties. They want to be able to expand their business. They want to be able to buy new equipment. We will make sure that that will continue to be the case in this country.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, there is some very disturbing news coming out of Azerbaijan, where members of the LGBT community are being arrested, detained, brutally beaten, and forced to undergo medical exams.

Obviously, this kind of persecution must be condemned, but the federal government has approved an agreement with Azerbaijan on armoured personnel carriers.

In light of this disturbing report, will the Liberals reexamine and end all arms exports to Azerbaijan, or will they continue to approve the sale of armoured personnel carriers to this oppressive regime?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are very much concerned about human rights violations, including the LGBT rights violations in Azerbaijan.

Our government has been unequivocal in its defence of all sexual minorities, both at home and abroad. Our government firmly defends LGBTQ rights in Canada and around the world. LGBTQ rights have no borders. They have to be respected and promoted everywhere.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the government has not learned a thing when it comes to selling arms to human rights violators.

We are now hearing reports of yet another campaign of arrests and torture directed against an LGBTQ community, this time in Azerbaijan. Has the minister expressed her concerns about this campaign directly to the Azerbaijani government, as she just approved Canadian arms exports to Azerbaijan?

When will the Liberals finally turn rhetoric into reality on LGBTQ refugees? When will they turn one-off rescue programs into an ongoing path to safety for LGBTQ refugees whose lives are in imminent risk?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I think the member opposite knows, I am personally very focused on the rights of persecuted LGBT minorities around the world, very much including the former Soviet Union. This is an issue that I take personally and in which I have been very personally engaged. In some areas our government cannot speak about what we are doing because of the danger these people face. We are very focused on the danger in Azerbaijan as—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Kildonan—St. Paul.

Status of Women

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, October is Women's History Month in Canada and during this month we recognize the monumental contributions of Canadian women and girls over the course of our country's history.

Could the Minister of Status of Women tell the House what our government is doing to recognize women's contributions to Canada's society?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Kildonan—St. Paul for all of her contributions to Canada's story and to wish everyone a happy Women's History Month.

We all know women and girls who have dreamed big, who have pursued their dreams and paved the way for the rest of us, women like our newly installed Governor General. This October our government is inviting all Canadians to share the stories of these women and girls.

This October, I invite everyone to share the story of an inspiring woman or girl who encourages us to make our own mark on history.

Public Safety

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it was reported in the news this morning that the individual responsible for last Saturday's terrorist attacks in Edmonton was already suspected of espousing extremist ideology. At the time, the suspect was not deemed to pose a threat to the security of Canada.

What intelligence did the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have on this individual?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member will know, I cannot go into detail because it is an ongoing police investigation and, in fact, charges have been laid. The individual, of course, has been identified by police now. He is a 30-year-old who entered Canada not recently, but back in 2012 and granted refugee status at that time.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen this story play out many times before. Once again, an act of terrorism has been committed by an individual who not only was already known to police, but was already suspected of espousing terrorist and extremist views about the security of Canadians. Now the minister has only vague answers to offer to these crucial questions. Canadians need to know what intelligence the RCMP had on this individual that warranted launching an investigation.

Why does the minister refuse to answer?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is because under our law a criminal investigation and a terrorist investigation are under way. I am sure that no member of Parliament would want to do anything advertently or inadvertently to interfere with that investigation. The RCMP, as do all police forces in this country, follow the evidence wherever it leads. Where the evidence supports a charge, they lay one and they prosecute.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP previously investigated the Edmonton terror suspect on a tip that he espoused extremist ideology.

Did the RCMP provide details of this investigation to the immigration minister's department, and does the immigration minister support the creation of a formal information-sharing agreement between the RCMP and IRCC designed specifically to alert immigration officials when the RCMP starts an investigation on someone who has entered Canada as a refugee or asylum seeker?

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

Mr. Speaker, again I would remind the hon. member that because of the nature of the investigation presently under way, questions of that nature cannot be answered in detail at this time. The police will pursue the evidence wherever it leads, and they will lay charges as appropriate.

With respect to information sharing among departments, I would advise her to examine the details of Bill C-59.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, reports say that the suspect involved in the Edmonton terror attack was granted protection by Canada under our asylum system. My previous question was important because when officials become aware of threats to the public, the minister has the authority to label as a danger to the public those individuals who have this protection and have committed serious crimes, and to subsequently remove them from Canada.

Will the minister be exercising his authority in this regard if this individual is found guilty in a court of law?

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

Mr. Speaker, as of today, criminal charges have been laid in this matter. Those charges pre-empt all other proceedings. Those charges, depending on how they are dealt with in the final analysis by the courts, will determine the future prosecution of this case.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday I walked the picket line with 2,800 CAMI workers who are on strike and fighting to keep their jobs because of bad trade policy by past governments. The minister keeps saying how wonderful NAFTA has been for our country. I am sure that is true for her corporate friends, but I certainly did not see her standing out on the picket line with us last Friday. This is the reality of NAFTA for working people fighting to keep good-paying jobs from moving south to Mexico.

What about the rest of us? How can Canadians trust the current government to protect their jobs when the Liberals will not even stand up for workers now?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member opposite and all Canadian workers that we are fighting very hard at the NAFTA negotiating table for the interests of all Canadian workers and for Canadian jobs. The labour chapter that Canada has proposed is the most progressive labour chapter Canada has ever put forward. It has the support of Canadian unions and the support of unions in the United States. In fact, Elizabeth Warren wrote over the weekend about how strong our proposals are. Canadian workers are at the heart of our negotiating strategy.