Debates of Oct. 27th, 2017

Ethics

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Madam Speaker, facts are facts. The Minister of Finance stated in a press conference on October 16 that he had been naive with regard to his shares in Morneau Shepell.

We now know that the minister has ties to Bombardier, the Bank of Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, the Senate, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. All told, Morneau Shepell's contracts with the government are worth over $14 million.

Does the Minister of Finance also believe that he was naive in admitting that he was guilty and in thinking that he could hide all his conflicts of interest behind a simple donation, for which he will get a tax credit?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the Minister of Finance has always been in full compliance with the rules and laws that govern us.

However, I understand why the Conservatives want to focus on the finance minister's personal circumstances and not his record. If we compare his record to theirs, all of the economic indicators show that the Conservatives failed and that we are succeeding. We have the strongest growth in the G7, we have lowered child poverty rates by 40%, and we are helping 900,000 vulnerable seniors through the guaranteed income supplement.

We, on this side of the House, are reducing inequality, and we believe that the economy should work for everybody. It never even occurred to the Conservatives to reduce inequality.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, the finance minister tried to pass off multiple ethics violations as a distraction. Well, the Ethics Commissioner said that she has serious concerns with his bill that would benefit Morneau Shepell. Just before we found this out, the minister suddenly decided to donate millions of dollars to charity. When one gives money under duress, that is not charity, that is self-preservation.

Will the minister finally admit that he failed to live up to basic ethical standards, and will he apologize to Canadians?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, I think the finance minister has lived up to the Ethics Commissioner's expectations. He has followed her recommendations. He has worked with her from the beginning and will continue to do so, on all matters that fall under her portfolio.

When we look at the finance minister, he is a man who has dedicated the last two years of life to public service, with great results for Canadians. I can tell members that I am very proud. He has achieved great results for all Canadians.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, charity is usually given out of compassion and not out of fear of losing one's job.

The Minister of Finance's sudden fit of charity occurred just before the NDP received a letter from the Ethics Commissioner stating that she has concerns about the Minister of Finance's actions and just before we learned that the Ethics Commissioner had chastised him for not disclosing all of his assets. The minister is trying to distract us all from the real issue and is still refusing to admit that he made a big mistake.

Will the Liberals join us in making sure this kind of thing does not happen again?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is the entity responsible for preserving the integrity of Parliament and the House of Commons. We follow the Ethics Commissioner's instructions, and the Minister of Finance has always worked with her and will continue doing so to act on her recommendations and ensure that he is in full compliance with the laws governing us.

He announced that he would go the extra mile by divesting his Morneau Shepell shares and placing all his assets in a blind trust. That is what it means to be transparent, and that is what the Minister of Finance and our government are doing.

Canadian Heritage

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Madam Speaker, on October 3, Quebec's minister of culture sent a letter to the federal heritage minister.

In the letter, he was critical of the fact that the agreement does not ensure tax and regulatory fairness among all businesses. He also criticized the absence of any guarantees regarding francophone content.

Unlike the federal government, the Government of Quebec seems to have the courage to address these problems, but in order to do so, it needs to see the agreement, and the Minister of Canadian Heritage still refuses to share any details.

Why are the Liberals refusing to make public the deal that they are so proud of?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism)]

Madam Speaker, we heard the opinions of Quebeckers and Canadians everywhere. As part of our #DigiCanCon consultations, we heard from over 30,000 people from across the country. It was obvious that they want a government that finally cares about the arts and supports Canadian culture. We listened and we took action.

We have invested $2.2 billion in arts and culture, the largest investment in the G7 and the largest investment in the past 30 years in Canada. This is about investing in our creators and promoting their stories and Canadian content around the world.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Speaker, the heritage minister keeps claiming that she listened to cultural experts and the industry, but Netflix seems to have had special attention. Not only did it lobby her office multiple times, but it also does not have to pay its fair share for doing business in Canada.

Now, there is a very easy way for the minister to clear up the confusion around this sweetheart deal that she signed with Netflix: just show us the deal.

Will the heritage minister table the deal that she signed with Netflix in this place?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism)]

Madam Speaker, we have heard the concerns of Quebec and the concerns of the rest of Canada. In the context of our consultation on digital Cancon, we heard from 30,000 people around this country. What they said to us was very clear. They want a government that finally believes in and supports the arts and Canadian culture.

We have heard, and we have acted. We have invested $2.2 billion in arts and culture, the largest amount in the G7, and the largest amount in this country in 30 years. This will help our creators. It will help to ensure that Canadian stories are told in Canada and abroad.

Ethics

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

Madam Speaker, the Minister of Finance confirmed two things in his statements yesterday. First, he confirmed that he was in direct conflict of interest and that his family and himself have been profiting from that situation for two years. Second, his gesture proves that he takes action only when he is caught red-handed.

The story does not end here. The reality is that the Minister of Finance still owns numbered companies. If he truly wants to be honest with all Canadians, when will he declare all his assets in his numbered companies?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the Minister of Finance has only ever acted with the interest of Canadians in mind. Under his leadership, our economy has grown faster than it has in the past 10 years, and the unemployment rate is lower than it has been in the past 10 years. He lowered the child poverty rate by 40% with one of the most ambitious social policies in the country. I think that we can all be proud of the work of this Minister of Finance. I can totally understand why the Conservatives do not want to talk about the decade of darkness when they failed on practically all fronts when it comes to the economy and they failed Canadians.

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

Madam Speaker, the member seems to have forgotten that, contrary to what the government continues to claim, as a result of the government's economic policies, the wealthiest Canadians have paid $1 billion less in taxes since the Liberals came to power, compared to when we were in government.

I will ask the member again. He is shaking his head, but I would just like to tell him that this comes from the Department of Finance, his own department. The question remains. Why does the Minister of Finance not declare all of his assets held in numbered companies, so that Canadians can finally have the truth?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Questions must be addressed to the Chair and not to members. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, all members of Parliament and parliamentarians are required to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and to be fully transparent with her. She makes recommendations based on each person's situation. This is what she did with the Minister of Finance, as soon as he took office, and she recommended that he maintain a conflict of interest screen, which he did. This option was good enough for Denis Lebel and for the member for Milton, when they were in power. The Minister of Finance continues to act with the utmost integrity. As he announced last week, he is doing even more.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is essential that Canadians have confidence in their government and believe that what it does is in the best interest of Canadians. Canadians should also be able to have confidence that ministers will be honest about their assets and not abuse their office for personal gain, yet this is exactly what the Minister of Finance has done.

My question is simple. What other stocks does the minister own in his numbered companies that could benefit from his ministerial actions?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the finance minister has worked with the Ethics Commissioner. He is collaborating and has always been proactive with the Ethics Commissioner to not only be in full compliance with the rules that govern us but also to follow her recommendations, which he has done. He is going even further by divesting himself of all his shares in Morneau Shepell, and donating to charity any difference in value between the time he took office and today, and putting all his assets in a blind trust so he can focus on the important work he has been doing for all Canadians over the last two years, with remarkable results.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Madam Speaker, while the government talks about being open and transparent, the finance minister has proven that it just is not true. Two years ago, he said he was going to put his assets in a blind trust, but he did not. He told the Ethics Commissioner that he had disclosed all of his assets, but he had not. He said that he had a tight ethics screen, but he did not.

How can Canadians trust him not to own stocks through his numbered companies, stocks that he could blindly help, like he helped Morneau Shepell?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the finance minister has always worked with the Ethics Commissioner very proactively in a forthcoming and transparent manner. He will continue to do so. That is what he has always done.

Now we are focused on what he has done for the last two years, which is growing the economy; making sure that all Canadians have a fair shot at success; and reducing inequality, something that never occurred to them would be a good thing. This is what we are doing on this side: prosperity for all.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner is investigating the finance minister for his involvement in Bill C-27, where he directly benefited from his holdings in Morneau Shepell. We know that those holdings are in a numbered company in Alberta. We also know that he owns several other numbered companies. Will the finance minister come clean and tell the House what else he holds in those other numbered companies?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, on this side, we have the utmost trust in the Ethics Commissioner to provide the right path forward for parliamentarians, and we are always forthcoming and transparent with her so she can guide us in our actions. This is what the minister did when he took office. From the very beginning, he has worked with the Ethics Commissioner, and he will continue to do so to make sure that Canadians have the utmost confidence in him as finance minister as he grows our economy and reduces inequality in this country. That is what is expected of the finance minister. That is what he is doing, and we are proud of it.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, too little, too late. Any magnanimous gesture by the Minister of Finance is just an attempt to direct from his grave ethical breach. The Prime Minister, who by the way is also under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner, is allowing this to be swept under the rug rather than dealing with it. This is shocking to Canadians across the country.

Could the finance minister tell us if he will claim a tax credit from this grand gesture?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, the finance minister, as he proceeds to donate the difference in the value of the shares between when he took office and today, will work with the Ethics Commissioner. He will always work with the Ethics Commissioner as he moves forward to divest all his shares in Morneau Shepell and place his assets in a blind trust, and then he will keep working for the Canadian economy.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service

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

Madam Speaker, an independent review of the CSIS regional office in Toronto has been released.

The review found that a majority of employees do not trust management to ensure a healthy workplace that is free of discrimination. This comes on top of a lawsuit filed by former CSIS employees who have made some extremely serious and troubling allegations.

Will the minister take action to fix CSIS's toxic culture and immediately launch an investigation into this behaviour?

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

Madam Speaker, this is an extremely serious matter. The former director of CSIS launched the examination the hon. member refers to. The findings of that examination are certainly troubling.

The current director of CSIS has taken personal charge of this matter and has made it very clear that the behaviour being complained of here is absolutely unacceptable. It should not exist in a federal workplace. The Government of Canada will take the necessary steps to make sure that it stops.