Debates of Oct. 6th, 2017

Natural Resources

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Abbotsford.

Taxation

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the finance minister has been artfully dodging questions about his own foreign tax shelters, it turns out that exactly a year ago, his billion-dollar company, Morneau Shepell, was registered in Barbados where he only pays tax at a rate of two and a half per cent. Yet, he is asking Canadian small business owners to pay tax at a rate of 73%. How do they spell “hypocrisy”? Again, for the artful dodger himself, can he tell this House whether any of his proposed tax increases would actually apply to him?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the minister left the company before taking up his duties as minister. He has always worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner with complete transparency to make sure he complies with the rules at all times.

I want to reassure the opposition member that we will always stand behind our small business owners. We are keeping their tax rate the lowest in the G7 to promote growth, because we know small business owners contribute to this country's prosperity.

That being said, the fact is that our current tax system has some inequities we need to correct. We have made a very clear commitment to the middle class to build a fairer tax system. We are in the process of reviewing the comments we heard from coast to coast.

The Environment

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, caribou are an iconic Canadian species, but to survive they need an intact ecosystem. In addition, many indigenous communities rely on the caribou to survive. A 2015 federal assessment found that 81% of our remaining woodland caribou are in decline and projected to fall another 30%. The key identified reason for the decline is a loss of habitat to forestry, to energy development, and wildfires. Can the minister advise when range plans for protection of caribou habitat will be publicly released?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely committed to working with the provinces, territories, and indigenous peoples on the protection and recovery of Canada's species at risk, including caribou, in a timely manner, with robust recovery plans based on the best available science and traditional knowledge.

We are working with the provinces and territories on the range-specific plans for boreal caribou by the October 2017 deadline. This was agreed upon by all parties, as laid out in the boreal caribou recovery strategy.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians' overall distrust of our security agencies is a direct consequence of the fact that we have no mechanism to provide real-time oversight and accountability.

The government is currently in court with environmental groups it has accused of spying. Even the watchdog tasked with monitoring CSIS operations failed in its duty by dismissing their complaint and throwing a cloak of total secrecy over the whole case.

Bill C-59 does nothing to fix these problems, but pays lip service to them. When will the minister truly take steps to make real-time oversight, fix these problems, limit the excessive powers of CSIS, and truly protect the rights of Canadians to peaceful protests?

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

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the details of Bill C-59 have been examined by the most eminent experts in the field. Every single one of them has said that this represents a major step forward in terms of transparency, scrutiny, and accountability, including real-time oversight and the creation, for the first time, of the office of the intelligence commissioner that will examine the activities of security agencies before those activities are undertaken, as well as having them reviewed afterward.

Indigenous Affairs

[William Amos, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the sixties scoop is a dark and painful chapter in Canada's history.

The national settlement is a critical step toward reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Those affected by the scoop suffered considerable harm, including losing their culture and heritage.

Can the minister tell the House what efforts were made to reach a national settlement?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was very proud to announce that an agreement in principle was reached, an important step in settling this legal dispute.

Through this agreement we are addressing issues raised by the lead plaintiff in this case, as well as in other similar class action suits. This does not close the book on the sixties scoop. We are committed to righting all the other past wrongs.

Natural Resources

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the cancellation of the energy east project is just another example of Liberal meddling. By changing the rules mid-process, the Liberals are telling Canadians, “Don't buy Canadian oil; buying from foreign dictatorships like Algeria and Venezuela is much better.”

When will the Liberals stand up for Canadians and not foreign despots?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada did not change the rules. The principles we announced in January of 2016 would have been exactly the same rules that would have applied to energy east. The principles we used to make decisions in the case of the Trans Mountain expansion and the Enbridge Line 3 led to approvals, which will create thousands of jobs, and billions of dollars of economic activity, particularly for western Canada.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first the $35 billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project was cancelled. Then the $5.4 billion northern gateway pipeline was cancelled. Then the Nexen's Aurora LNG project was cancelled. Now the $15.7 billion energy east project has been cancelled.

Enough is enough. Changing the rules midstream is not right. The Liberals are sending a message to investors that Canada is a hostile place to invest.

Why are the Liberals supporting foreign oil dependency while discouraging investment right here in Canada? Enough is enough.

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Nova Gas pipeline, 3,000 jobs, has been approved. The Line 3 replacement project, 7,000 jobs, has been approved. The Trans Mountain expansion pipeline, 15,440 jobs, has been approved, and support for the Keystone XL pipeline, 6,440 jobs. That is an impressive total of job creation and economic activity. We are very proud of that accomplishment.

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is the Liberals' fault that the energy east project is no more. Those same Liberals who claim to want to help the middle class are pleased with this outcome. They killed a job-creating project.

In fact, the company said that following in-depth analysis of the new regulations they decided to pull the plug on the project.

How can the government be so proud of the end of a project that would have been very good for the middle class and would have created jobs in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and across the country?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, we are not proud of a project abandoned; we are happy we are creating jobs in the energy sector. We understand that the energy sector is a driving force in the Canadian economy and that the natural resource sectors of forestry, mining, oil and gas have been fundamental to the building of the Canadian economy, and will continue to be. If we do not have a regulatory process that carries the confidence of Canadians on the three pillars of economic growth, environmental stewardship, and indigenous participation, our history will be the same as the sorry history of the Harper government. We can do better; we are doing better.

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday TransCanada announced the cancellation of the energy east pipeline. To the dismay of my constituents in Mooseman, Saskatchewan, energy east was expected to create thousands of jobs, many of which would have been in Mooseman.

Now, due to the Prime Minister's blatant lack of support for the Canadian energy sector, this pipeline has been cancelled and hundreds of job opportunities have disappeared overnight.

When will the Prime Minister apologize to the people of Mooseman for his failure to champion this job-creating project?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the Enbridge Line 3 project goes right by Mooseman.

[Robert Gordon Kitchen, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

No it doesn't. Get a map.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

You got your geography wrong, Jim.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Hire a new cartographer.

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

More jobs will be created. Mr. Speaker. Not only that, Evraz will be producing hundreds of kilometres of steel to support these projects.

Why do the members opposite not join us on this side of the House in our support for a dynamic energy industry for Canada?

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order, please. I am sure the minister appreciates the coaching he is getting from the other side, but it is preventing me from hearing the next question from the hon. member for Windsor—Tecumseh. I will let her proceed.

Persons with Disabilities

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my office has received numerous calls from persons living with disabilities and their advocates, expressing serious concern over the delays in the government's plan to table a new accessibility act. I am sure the new minister would agree that Canadians have waited long enough for comprehensive legislation.

When will the minister provide the public with a clear timeline for when Canadians with disabilities can finally see the government table the accessibility act?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Persons with Disabilities]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her dedication to this file.

The government made a commitment to people with disabilities across Canada to table new legislation. In fact, that was part of the mandate letter from the Prime Minister. We have consulted nearly 6,000 Canadians across the country, and the input we received will inform the content of the new bill. We are making great progress on the drafting of the legislation.

I have some good news to announce: the bill will be introduced soon.

My door is open, and I invite my colleagues to work with me on this file in the future.

Veterans Affairs

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we owe an enormous debt to our nation's veterans, and the men and women who have served our country deserve our gratitude. That is why Canadians set up a network of veterans hospitals, including the George Derby Centre veterans hospital in Burnaby, B.C. However, changes in the funding model have meant reductions in funding, and this is profoundly hurting veterans and seniors at the George Derby Centre.

Will the minister come and meet with the residents and their families at the George Derby Centre? Will the government end the funding crisis so veterans get the care they so richly deserve?