Debates of Oct. 6th, 2017

Brian Carty

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, a coach, a teacher, a mentor, and a supporter of everything positive and everything right, Brian Carty was remembered by his sons as a friend to anyone when they needed one. Brian passed away peacefully on September 26, following a car accident three days earlier. The Fredericton community and his students and fellow faculty and staff at St. Thomas University, where he taught in the school of social work, mourn the loss of his uplifting personality and his big laugh and smile.

Brian also worked as an employment counsellor and volunteered with Canada World Youth, the YMCA-YWCA, and the Fredericton Community Living Society. He loved music and shared it at every opportunity. An ardent supporter of the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, he could be found every year front-left stage wearing his iconic purple vest.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his sons Alexander and Ian, partner Anne, mother June, siblings John, Wendy, and David, their families, and all those who loved him dearly.

Youth

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every day I am impressed by the youth in my riding. They are smart, diverse, talented, and hopeful, but far too often they struggle to find work, and so we did something about it. I got on the phone with local partners, including Toronto Community Housing, Toronto Employment and Social Services, COSTI, the LHION Network, and The Career Foundation, and together we put on an amazing hiring event. We pulled employers from the financing to tech sectors, to government and social services. We held CV workshops, coaching, and on-site interviews. At the end of it, I am proud to say that we successfully connected 35 exceptional young people with employers. They are now one step further ahead on their career path.

This event was the result of discussions I had with young professionals who live in priority communities. I would also like to give special thanks to Minister Hajdu.

Thanks to her department, The Career Foundation will be receiving nearly $1.7 million over two years so it can continue its excellent work.

I will continue working hard on initiatives like this one so that every single young person in my riding who wants a good job has one.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members that even during members' statements, they are not allowed mention other members' names, only positions or ridings.

The hon. member for Edmonton Manning.

Attack in Edmonton

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of everything we have to be thankful for as Canadians.

This past Saturday, I was saddened and outraged to hear of the cowardly terrorist attack that took place in my hometown of Edmonton, which left five people injured, including an Edmonton police officer. As the city still struggles to come to terms with this attack on our freedom and way of life, I was touched to see that one of the victims of Saturday's attack, Constable Michael Chernyk, was honoured by the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday evening.

I think I can speak for everyone in the House when I say that terrorist ideologies have no place in our great country. As we pause this weekend, I encourage everyone to thank our courageous first responders and all of those involved in stopping the suspect.

From my family to everyone, I wish all a happy Thanksgiving.

Public Transit

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Parkdale—High Park, residents are concerned about how to travel to work or school in a quick and environmentally sound way. My constituents have told me that any strategy to reduce gridlock and our dependence on cars must include investments in public transit and active transport. I wholeheartedly agree, because these kinds of investments not only get people moving, they also reduce GHG emissions contribute to healthier living.

The advocacy of my constituents has paid off. We are investing billions in transit, including $500 million in TTC repair and $333 million in the Finch West light rail transit project. Millions nationally will also be going to support active transport. In Parkdale—High Park, this means the expansion of the west Toronto railpath cycling route. It also means the creation of 50 new bike share stations, with seven new stations right in my riding.

I have a challenge for the good folks in Roncesvalles, High Park, Bloor West, Parkdale, Dundas West, and Sorauren Park. Next time they are thinking about commuting, they should leave their cars at home and hop on a bike share bicycle. In Toronto, they will probably reach their destination faster and their doctors and our planet will thank them for it.

Windsor—Tecumseh

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

Mr. Speaker, my riding of Windsor—Tecumseh and the surrounding Windsor-Essex County are, of course, well-known for their expertise in the auto industry, so it is no wonder that we appreciate the small gears that turn the big gears of our economy.

Yes, I am talking about our vibrant entrepreneurial innovation and small businesses. From Walkerville, Riverside, Pillette Village, Ford City, and the Tecumseh business areas to the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation and the chamber of commerce, wherever people go, they will find a supportive entrepreneurial spirit for small and medium-sized businesses, providing jobs, growth, and development within our communities. Restaurants, artisans, craftspeople, shop owners, and service providers of every imaginable kind add value to our communities that goes well beyond the economic value alone.

I am proud to salute these important members of our community, just as I am proud to belong to a caucus that recognizes the vital role they play in helping to provide prosperity for us all.

Health

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, The Miracle Marnie Foundation is a new organization that seeks to increase funding for childhood cancer research. It is named after the brave Marnie Geniole, and was founded by her father Thomas.

At two years old, Marnie was diagnosed with one of the rarest and least-understood cancers in the world: embryonal tumours with multilayered rosettes. Since then, she has been through three tumour-removal surgeries, three months of chemo, three stem cell transplants in Toronto, and 33 painful rounds of radiation at CHEO here in Ottawa.

However, only 4% of cancer research funding makes its way to childhood cancer treatment and research. Thomas and The Miracle Marnie Foundation want to change that, because 4% is not enough for our children. They are asking for a meeting with the Minister of Health. I look forward to bringing Thomas and Marnie to meet the Minister of Health and discuss how we can work together to fight all forms of childhood cancer so that children like Marnie will suffer no more.

Thanksgiving

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity today as we are about to leave Ottawa for Thanksgiving weekend to wish all Canadians and all my friends and colleagues from both sides of the aisle a very happy Thanksgiving.

It is an opportunity to rejoice with family and friends and also to take some time to give thanks for the blessings we have received in the past year.

It is also an opportunity to think of the less fortunate, those who have suffered and those who are suffering. In light of the tragedies that our brothers and sisters in Edmonton, and our friends in the U.S. have experienced, and as we get ready to go home and give thanks, I would be remiss if I did not include them in my thoughts and prayers.

To them and all those who have faced tragedy this past year, I wish them well.

Natural Resources

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister claimed that energy east was cancelled because oil prices dropped. I have the letter here from TransCanada, the project's sponsor. It does not mention a word about oil prices, but it does say, “Notwithstanding these efforts, there remains substantial uncertainty around the scope, timing and cost associated with the regulatory review of the Projects.” After completing its review of these factors and the associated costs implicated with the regulatory process, they decided to withdraw the project.

Did the Prime Minister not know that the reason the project was cancelled was because of his regulatory obstacles, or did he know, and did he mislead the House?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, there have been all kinds of commentary over the last 24 hours, and some of the commentary includes this comment by the C.D. Howe Institute: “Basic economics—not regulation—ended the Energy East pipeline.... dethroned by the simple loss of its business case.... by the decline in global oil prices since 2014.”

Terence Corcoran, writing in the National Post this morning, said that economic reality killed the energy east--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before we go to the hon. member for Carleton for the next question, I want to remind hon. members that I am as interested in hearing the questions as I am the answers. With the chatter going back and forth, I am having a hard time, so if you could, just take into consideration the Speaker's feelings and allow him to hear the questions and the answers.

The hon. member for Carleton.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is what the company says. “[T]he existing and likely future delays resulting from the regulatory process, the associated cost implications and the increasingly challenging issues and obstacles facing the projects” has led the applicants to not proceed further with the project. That is the company.

The hon. member said yesterday, we won, they lost. Do members know who won? It was the dictators in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela who will continue to flood Canadian markets with their oil, but Canadian workers lost.

Why is it that the government is on the side of foreign dictators and not Canadian workers?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, I am a little perplexed by this line of questioning. What does that imply? That there should not be a made-in-Canada regulatory process? That environmental standards should not be part of the Canadian regulatory position? That indigenous partnership and meaningful consultation and accommodation should not be a part of the Canadian system?

By the way, why do we not talk about all the jobs that have been created by the pipelines approved by this government? Why do we not talk about EVRAZ in Regina creating all that steel to service those pipelines?

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government refused to answer whether or not the Minister of Finance has been involved in discussions around the tax haven in Barbados. We learned this week, through filings that had been quietly made by the company Morneau Shepell, that the finance minister's billion-dollar family business has set up a subsidiary in that tax haven, meaning that his company will only pay 2.5% tax on monies that are earned there, while small businesses will pay tax rates as high as 73% under the unfair Liberal tax changes.

I ask again, has the finance minister absented himself from any discussions related to the tax haven in Barbados?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. The historic amounts of nearly $1 billion we invested in our last two budgets show how important we think it is to address these issues. Our plan is working. We are about to recoup nearly $25 billion. A total of 627 cases have been transferred to criminal investigation, and there have been 268 warrants and 78 convictions. Let me be very clear. The net is tightening.

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

Mr. Speaker, it came as a tremendous shock this week in the House of Commons when the member for Carleton revealed to all Canadians that the finance minister's family business has a subsidiary in Barbados, which is known as a tax haven. That makes no sense, particularly when the finance minister just introduced measures that would take $250 million out of the pockets of Canadian entrepreneurs. That is unacceptable.

My question for the Prime Minister is simple: will he agree to get to the bottom of this situation? Did the finance minister withdraw from the discussions about tax havens, yes or no?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to cracking down on tax cheats and bringing them to justice with the help of our international partners.

I am proud of the leadership role we have taken on the international stage. Co-operation between revenue authorities, including the exchange of tax information, is an essential tool for maintaining the integrity of Canada's tax base.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is twice now the minister has said the same thing.

There is no mistaking what we are asking here. Morneau Shepell and the Minister of Finance are one and the same. In her responses, she mentioned neither the Minister of Finance nor Morneau Shepell.

I know and very much respect the minister, so I would like her to make a real effort to shed some light on the situation and find out whether the Minister of Finance recused himself from the discussion around measures that would affect Morneau Shepell and his tax haven in Barbados.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to hear that question coming from our colleagues opposite who were in government for 10 years.

According to a former Canada Revenue Agency minister, tax evasion and tax avoidance were never priority files.

Our government has invested nearly $1 billion over the past two years, and we are on track to recoup $25 billion. Unlike our colleagues opposite, we are working for Canadians.

Indigenous Affairs

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, eight months after Canada was found liable for failing to protect survivors of the sixties scoop from losing their cultural identity, the Liberals are finally settling with survivors. Unfortunately, a lot of work is still needed. Survivors have said that money alone cannot compensate for what they lost.

Will the government learn from this lesson and stop fighting first nations children, for instance, or settle other outstanding claims, like with the Experimental Eskimos?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question and for his ongoing advocacy for indigenous children across this country.

This morning, to have the agreement in principle, is an important first step. We have lots more work to do to be able to make sure that all childhood litigation is dealt with at the table, with reasonable settlements, but we also want to work with the Minister of Indigenous Services to make sure that the present child welfare system is totally overhauled so that children are not removed from their communities.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, speaking on this topic earlier today, the minister said, and I quote, “I don't know what people were thinking”.

That is precisely what I want to ask her. Unfortunately, discrimination against indigenous children is still happening as we speak. The Liberals are not complying with the three orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

Will the government learn from this legal battle against survivors of the sixties scoop, end the systemic discrimination against indigenous children, and stop fighting children in court?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased, as the Minister of Indigenous Services, to address this issue and to speak in agreement with my colleague about the absolute necessity of making sure that we attain equity for children. Every child in this country should be able to grow up knowing that they can live with their family, live in a house that is adequate, and have access to good quality education and health care.

We are working with our partners to make sure that we bring equity and justice so that every Canadian child will know that they will grow up having real and fair opportunities to thrive.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons for its work towards a nuclear weapons ban treaty.

Thanks to the campaign's efforts, nuclear weapons are illegal. More than 120 countries have approved the treaty, but Canada is still not one of them. Earlier this spring, the Liberal government voted against our motion calling on it to join the nuclear weapons ban treaty.

When will Canada sign the treaty?