Debates of Oct. 23rd, 2017

Taxation

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member is an experienced member and knows he must direct his comments to the Chair. I would ask him to do so.

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, the Liberals are denying access to the disability tax credit to those with diabetes under the age of 18.

First they attacked farmers and small business owners and then employees with discounts. Now the Liberals are targeting those with diabetes. When Jim Flaherty was finance minister, these children would never have been cut off from disability credits.

The Conservatives care about young Canadians. Why do the Liberals see diabetic children and their families as tax targets?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleagues opposite that the law has not changed in any way. How the law is interpreted has also not changed in any way.

I would remind the House that it was the Conservatives who cut services at the Canada Revenue Agency and that we are currently hiring nurses to assess these tax credit applications in the first step of the process.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix should calm herself. The hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Human Rights

[Nicola Di Iorio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, news out of Myanmar and Bangladesh about the Rohingya is nothing short of alarming. There are horrifying media reports of women and girls being raped and murdered, and thousands of children who have witnessed the unspeakable are on their own, trying to survive amid the chaos and with the ever-present threat of disease hanging over them.

Can the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie tell the House what the government has been doing lately to provide humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel for his question.

We are all very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Myanmar. There are now 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh. That is why, this morning, I announced additional aid in the amount of $12 million for a total of $25 million in humanitarian aid to the region this year. The funds will be allocated to our trusted partners to save lives, meet basic needs and women's needs, and protect children.

Taxation

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, kids' hockey and soccer, piano and singing lessons, college and university tuition, textbooks, bus passes, and Uber—what do these things have in common? The Liberals have raised taxes on all of them.

Will the finance minister advise Canadian families how much money he has taken from hard-working families by increasing all these taxes?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for providing me an opportunity to talk about what we have done for Canadians. We have lowered taxes on middle-class Canadians: $540 per family, and $330 per individual. More importantly, by introducing the Canada child benefit, taking away cheques from those who did not need it and giving more to families who actually need it, we have given, on average, including all those issues we just heard brought up, $2,300 more per family after tax. It is a very good situation for Canadian families, which has led to a better economic outcome for our country.

The Environment

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, say that I own a business that towes a shipwreck to Shediac without the proper authorization or expertise. Then, bowing to public pressure, I sell the wreck to a sketchy company and keep making money. For six years, the government did little to nothing about it and the wreck is on the verge of falling apart.

Would the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard give me $19 million to secure and dismantle the wreck that I myself towed into his backyard?

If the answer is no, then why is he pulling the same dirty trick on the people of Beauharnois and awarding the contract for the Kathryn Spirit to the company that brought her there?

Is that what it means to respect the polluter pays principle?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I will take this opportunity to say that our government is determined to protect the health and safety of Canadians and our waters.

We are doing what it takes to ensure that the permanent removal of the Kathryn Spirit is done safely and effectively, something that the previous government did not do.

Between July 2016 and July 2017, Public Services and Procurement Canada conducted the environmental studies and assessments required for dismantling the ship. We are keeping our promise.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, Canadian farmers are essential to the vitality of our rural regions and make a significant contribution to our national economy.

Our government has placed a focus on agriculture, investing $100 million in agricultural science, improving the transportation system for grain farmers, and setting a target of $75 billion in exports by 2025.

Can the minister of agriculture please also update this House on Canada's agricultural policy framework for the next five years?

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

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to stand with my provincial and territorial colleagues to sign the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This $3-billion investment will strengthen the Canadian agricultural sector, ensuring continued innovation, growth, and prosperity. Together with our government's investment in trade, science, and innovation, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership will help farmers and processors create middle-class jobs right across this country.

Ethics

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as we continue in a few moments with debate on the opposition day motion calling on the finance minister to apologize for failing to live up to the Prime Minister's mandate letter's ethical standards and for breaking trust with Canadians, there are a couple of still unanswered questions, again.

When did the finance minister advise the Prime Minister that he was neither establishing a blind trust nor divesting his stock holdings? Again, has the finance minister been served notice by the Ethics Commissioner of his violation of the Conflict of Interest Act?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that I want to live up to the high standards the Prime Minister has set for all of our cabinet on ethical behaviour, and that is what I will continue to do. I know that is what allows us to do the work that is so important for Canadians. That work is making sure that families feel better. They know that after 10 dark years, it is important to have people who are actually investing in their families so that they can actually do better so they can help their families succeed now and in the future. That is exactly what we have done.

Intergovernmental Relations

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on September 21, this House unanimously adopted a motion reiterating Quebec's right to debate and legislate on any matter within its jurisdiction.

It has taken less than a month for the Liberals to renege on that motion. It was inevitable: as soon as Quebec turns its attention to religious neutrality, Ottawa goes berserk.

Will the Prime Minister confirm that he recognizes that religious neutrality within the Quebec government falls under Quebec jurisdiction, and not federal jurisdiction?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we know that diversity is our strength, which is why Canadians expect us to stand up for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We will always do so. As the Prime Minister has said repeatedly, it is not up to the government to tell people what they can and cannot wear. Of course we will follow the discussions currently under way on this topic and we will be looking carefully at how the law is enforced.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have a National Assembly in Quebec City whose members pass laws on issues under Quebec jurisdiction, and the people pay them for their service. Meanwhile, some here in Ottawa want to challenge those laws, even though they, too, get their paychecks from Quebec taxpayers. This is yet another example showing that federalism does not work.

Will the Prime Minister promise not to use Quebec money to challenge the Quebec government's own Bill 62?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we know that in this country, diversity is our strength. That is why we honour the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and will always defend it. As the Prime Minister has said many times, it is not the government's business to tell people what they should or should not wear. That is why we are going to monitor the discussions over the coming weeks and carefully consider how guidelines on the application of this act are presented.

The Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, since my election in 2011, nothing was more painful than watching the destruction of our environmental laws in 2012. I took heart in the Liberal promises to reverse those changes and restore environmental protection, particularly in the mandate letter to the Minister of Transport, which reads that he would “review the previous government's changes to the...Navigable Waters Protection Act” and “restore lost protections”, but it now appears increasingly clear that this is not the plan. A schedule of named waterways was left intact.

Will the Minister of Transport honour his mandate letter and restore lost protections?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that I take my mandate extremely seriously with respect to the navigable waters act. I remember spending all night long with my hon. colleague—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

—when the previous government gutted the Navigation Protection Act. We will go beyond recovering many of the things that were lost in the last act. We are going to ensure greater transparency, and we are going to make sure—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would encourage members to be careful in their wording.

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Transport, and I would ask for some maturity from some members in this place.

Twenty-four hours of non-stop voting was a principled stand and should not be the source of schoolyard bullying.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. member for her efforts to assist me in encouraging members to act with proper decorum.