Debates of Oct. 26th, 2017

Parks Canada

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, companies like Weyerhauser, Millar Western, and West Fraser, which are lumber companies in my riding, spent millions of dollars trying to combat the pine beetle as it slowly crept in from the park.

We tried to work with the park for the last two years. We have had meetings. I have held meetings and round table discussions. We had park officials, CFS officials, as well as representatives of Alberta forestry attend. Parks Canada continually told us it was going to try to cull the trees and do some burns within Jasper National Park. I was just there a few weeks ago and nothing had been done yet.

We need help. The province of Alberta cannot do this on its own. We cannot be on the ground, doing science. Now is the time to combat the influx of the bugs. We have to get rid of them, either by burning or cutting the trees. The province of Alberta does not have the money. The forest companies are strapped, financially—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Kim Rudd, Liberal, Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat that our government is seized with the challenge of protecting Canada's forests from harmful native and invasive species, not just in Alberta but, indeed, across the country. Alberta is not alone. Canada is there and industry is there.

The Canadian Forest Service's team of scientists has demonstrated, time and again, that it has the experience and expertise to develop innovative solutions for these infestations, and it continues to do so in Alberta.

Our government is proud of the efforts, and I know the member opposite appreciates it, too. Together, we will meet this challenge and protect a way of life that has helped to shape our country.

Taxation

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. We are elected to fix problems, not create them. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Liberal government is doing. I am here this evening because I asked a question on Monday, I asked the Prime Minister the question again on Wednesday, and I still do not have an answer.

In my riding, a young 34-year-old woman has had type 1 diabetes for more than 20 years. She has a glucose monitor and of course she lives with this health problem 24 hours a day. This does not prevent her, however, from having an active life, running a day care, and helping the people in our community in Sainte-Justine, in Les Etchemins.

For many years, she has received some government assistance through the disability tax credit. It is not a huge amount, but it does help. She can also save some money with her registered disability savings plan. She is going to need it because she needs special care.

This year, when she filed her income taxes she was asked to provide more information. She had a form filled out by her doctor and that form was sent to the Canada Revenue Agency. To her great surprise, her application was rejected. She is not only losing her disability tax credit, but her registered disability savings plan is also in jeopardy. Her doctor is well aware of her problem and ticked off all the right boxes.

The problem is that it is not just my constituent from Sainte-Justine who is going through this. Thousands of diabetics across Canada are having to deal with this situation. They are being denied a tax credit and that is compromising their registered disability savings plan. I am asking the government to fix this. There is no need to hire public servants. Just make it so that a doctor can acknowledge that a person is diabetic, the way it has always been done.

The shocking thing is that the government is going after people with chronic health problems while we are witnessing the worst conflict of interest in my 12 years of political life. The Minister of Finance failed to disclose to the Ethics Commissioner the fact that he had a villa in France and the fact that he did not put his shares in his own company into a blind trust.

It is really sad to see the government lecturing Canadians with chronic health problems while the person responsible for managing billions of dollars in public money could not care less about ethics rules. He hides the fact that he owns a villa in France from the Ethics Commissioner and sets up a numbered company in Ontario. In fact, it is not in Ontario; to pay even less in taxes, he sets it up in Alberta. This only adds insult to injury for this woman from Sainte-Justine who is working hard just to make ends meet. She has three children, she runs a day care, and her husband works. These are hard-working people. However, she just got her knuckles rapped; her annual budget is compromised, as is the money she has set aside. What is most shocking is that the Minister of Finance is taking another $840 out of her pockets in taxes. It is appalling.

I am calling on the parliamentary secretary to intervene and fix this situation. This woman from Sainte-Justine needs her tax credit and is going to need her registered disability savings plan.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to clarify the information shared recently in the House of Commons on this very sensitive issue. Our government is committed to ensuring that all Canadians receive the credits and benefits to which they are entitled. Let me assure Canadians with diabetes and their families that there has been no change to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit related to diabetes.

As a nurse, I know personally the difficulties that face many Canadians who suffer from type 1 diabetes. While we have seen the research on this disease come a long way, there remains so much more to be done. Our government, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, supports diabetes research to improve primary prevention, develop effective treatments, and ultimately cure all types of diabetes. That is why our government invested over $41 million in diabetes research.

CIHR also funds a considerable amount of research in areas that impact on diabetes prevention and management of complications of diabetes such as obesity, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. As an example, in March 2016, the former minister of health announced five new SPOR chronic disease networks—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, grants are all well and good, but they do not solve the problem faced by my diabetic constituent in Sainte-Justine.

I appeal to the experience of the parliamentary secretary, who is a nurse herself. This constituent has type 1 diabetes, she wears an insulin pump, she is diabetic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What is the government waiting for? When is it going to fix this situation and stop throwing up roadblocks?

She already has her hands full managing her health problems. She does not need to deal with bureaucratic nonsense. She is diabetic. She needs to be given access to her disability tax credit and registered disability savings plan.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear that there has been no change to the eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit related to diabetes. Diabetes affects the lives of many Canadians. That is why our government is taking concrete steps on multiple fronts to assist Canadians suffering from it.

To again clarify, unlike the previous government, we are actually investing in diabetes research. We have simplified the DTC application forms. We are hiring nurses to assess disability tax credit applications. We have asked the CRA to improve its data collection process in order to better understand the agency's DTC decision-making process.

Canadians can be assured that, unlike the previous government, we will continue to work to make the disability tax credit even more accessible for Canadians who rely on it.

The Environment

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 18, I asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport the following question. It was about a technical briefing, where she had said that 100% of B.C. first nations supported the tanker ban. I said that she neglected to mention the very many who count on energy as an opportunity for their future. This is a government that committed to free, prior, and informed consent. This is hardly an example of getting that free, prior, and informed consent. I asked if the minister was prepared to table in this House a list of the coastal nations that supported the tanker ban and on what date.

We were trying to get at something very specific, and the response of course was very unsatisfactory. We truly are no clearer today in knowing who the Liberals consulted with. However, we do know that there were aboriginal chiefs from northern British Columbia who challenged the Prime Minister on his, “ill-conceived” moratorium on oil tanker traffic off the northern section of Canada's west coast.

According to the Financial Post of May 15, 2017, the Woodland Cree Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom stated, “I think it's for the betterment of the country that we do challenge it....The decision to do that impairs not only the people on the coast but it impairs the diverse Canadian economy.” He added that there was, “absolutely a lack of consultation.”

In the same article, the Eagle Spirit's Chief's Gathering denounced Ottawa's moratorium as “ill-conceived” and “inappropriate.” I will quote from it again. It states, “As Indigenous peoples, we want to preserve the right to determine the types of activities that take place in our territories and do not accept that the federal government should tell us how to preserve, protect and work within our traditional territories”. The group is considering its legal options. It says, “Once again the federal government is not respecting nation-to-nation dialogue and consultation and is forging ahead on proposals without the consent of many Indigenous communities.”

What may surprise the minister is that there are first nations that support economic development. Once again, the Liberals talk all the time about the importance of consultation, about a nation-to-nation relationship, but it appears that is only when it is convenient for them, and it does not go more broadly to all of the issues that are important to first nations. Therefore, what we see are arbitrary decisions being made by the current government when it does not feel that it wants to consult.

I think we can look at this as another example, that being the northern gateway pipeline project. The Liberals arbitrarily overturned a legal decision from the National Energy Board, and again failed to consult first nations. In fact, 31 first nations, which were equity partners in the northern gateway pipeline, were profoundly disappointed with the government's decision. They stood to benefit from more than $2 billion directly from the project. For them, it was a lost opportunity for jobs, education, and long-term benefits for band members, especially for their youth.

I want to quote from a statement by the Aboriginal Equity Partners stewards, who clearly expressed their shock. It states, “that the Federal Government had no intention of pursuing any further consultation and dialogue with our communities on the important issue of the Northern Gateway Project.” It went on to say, “We are also deeply disappointed that a Prime Minister who campaigned on a promise of reconciliation with Indigenous communities would...blatantly choose” to ignore it.

The response to that question was that the Liberals indeed consulted widely and supported—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, formalizing an oil tanker moratorium on British Columbia's north coast is an extremely important commitment by our government. Once passed by Parliament, the moratorium would provide an unprecedented level of protection for northern B.C.'s coastline around Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound.

The area covered by the moratorium includes coastal temperate rainforest, a unique and sacred area for coastal indigenous groups. The proposed moratorium would protect the coastline by prohibiting oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil or persistent oil as cargo from stopping or from loading or unloading these oils at ports or marine installations within this area.

Our government consulted extensively on how to formalize a moratorium and improve marine safety. Since January 2016, we have held 75 engagement sessions. Our government engaged directly with groups along the north and central coast of B.C. that would be affected by the moratorium or had expressed an interest in discussing it. We held several meetings with indigenous groups and received numerous letters on this issue.

We also consulted with provincial and territorial governments, the marine and resource industries, environmental groups, and communities. Further, an online portal was available for Canadians to provide input and share their views on the moratorium and on improving marine safety.

We heard diverse perspectives from the groups, and even within groups, on the oil tanker moratorium. The parameters of the proposed legislation were very much informed by the feedback we received during these consultations.

The oil tanker moratorium is another action our government is taking to protect our coasts and waterways. It will provide important environmental protection for British Columbia's north coast, something people have sought for decades.

As we move forward to implement measures under the $1.5 billion oceans protection plan, we will continue to engage and work closely with indigenous peoples and stakeholders across the country to advance measures to enhance marine safety, protect the environment and communities, and support economic development.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, clearly, what they have done is a two-part process as they attempt to shut down the oil sands. They are not listening to the many indigenous communities that would benefit greatly from the development of these resources, including pipelines and the ability to transport oil safely from the coast in British Columbia.

It is ironic that the government continues to allow oil to come into Canada, and down the St. Lawrence, from countries such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia but fails to consult with indigenous people, who have every right to have their voices heard and respected and every right to enjoy the opportunities that development of our natural resources in a safe and effective manner would provide for them. To be frank, it is shameful.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as mandated by the Prime Minister, formalizing an oil tanker moratorium on British Columbia's north coast is a priority for our government. That is why the Minister of Transport and his officials held engagement sessions from coast to coast to coast to ensure that people's voices were heard on improving marine safety and formalizing a moratorium. Furthermore, the minister received numerous letters from indigenous groups, industry stakeholders, environmental groups, and individuals expressing diverse views. These perspectives were considered by our government and helped shape the parameters of the oil tanker moratorium.

We have heard that people expect our government to strengthen the economy while protecting our environment. The proposed legislation demonstrates that a clean environment and a strong economy can go hand in hand.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 6:46 p.m.)