Debates of Nov. 1st, 2017

Pensions

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of this government's mandate, we have focused on helping the middle class in concrete ways, whether it was lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them on the wealthiest 1% or delivering the Canada child benefit, which helps families directly, including in North Island—Powell River where 14,350 young people will be receiving larger cheques every month. It will help with the high cost of raising families. This is a $600 cheque, on average, to families every month, and it is making a real difference for the folks in the member's riding.

The Environment

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, our oceans are central to our Canadian heritage and identity. With the longest coastline in the world and bordering three oceans, Canada is truly a maritime nation. However, our oceans are under threat from climate change, overfishing, and pollution. This is why we promised Canadians in the last election to protect 5% of our oceans by the end of this year and 10% by 2020.

Could the Prime Minister update the House on the status of this commitment?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I want to the thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City for his hard work.

In 2015, we promised to protect 5% of Canada's oceans by 2017, and we have delivered: 5.22% or our marine and coastal areas are now protected, up from less than 1% two years ago. These protections are based on sound science, extensive consultation, and transparent decision-making.

We will continue to work toward our goal of protecting 10% of our marine and coastal areas by 2020, and we will all work together to protect our oceans for future generations.

Taxation

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Financial Post reports, “Sufferers of autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health issues are the latest victims of a clampdown on access to the disability tax credit”. Families I met with told me how the Liberals had taken thousands of dollars from RDSPs used for saving for their disabled children's future.

Could the Prime Minister please explain to Canadians exactly how shaking down our most vulnerable citizens is a fair and balanced approach on taxes?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to supporting our most vulnerable citizens. That is why we are moving forward with a national disability act that will remove barriers through access and success for all Canadians who live with disabilities.

On top of that, with regard to mental health, I can tell the hon. member that we are delivering record numbers of support and tax breaks through the disability tax credit to sufferers of mental health, more last year than any previous year.

We are continuing to focus on supporting the most vulnerable. That is what Canadians expect of this government.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are moving heaven and earth to try to find more money to pay for their out-of-control deficits.

The victims are many: farmers, employee discounts, small businesses, and so on. They stop only when they are caught red-handed.

Now they are picking the winners and losers. They are determining who deserves support. Shayne, a diabetic from Alberta, is very upset. He says that he is no longer considered disabled by the government, but nothing in his life has changed. It makes no sense.

Instead of letting the Minister of National Revenue play doctor, when will the Prime Minister give Shayne his tax credit back?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are still in the process of ensuring that everyone who is eligible for benefits is receiving them. It is important to recognize that far too many Canadians are struggling and need help. That is why our government has always taken a compassionate approach and helped individuals and families in need.

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable will be pleased to know that in his riding, 14,890 young people are benefiting from the Canada child benefit, which is really making a difference in their community.

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is unimaginable that any government could be so heartless as to take away from people suffering with diabetes the benefits they have just to save a few bucks. However, now we are hearing reports that the Liberals are also targeting Canadians with mental health illnesses and autism to help pay for their out-of-control spending. Enough is enough.

When will the Prime Minister stop treating Canada's most vulnerable as if they are tax cheats?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ensuring that all Canadians have access to the credits and benefits to which they are entitled. We have made it easier to access services with the support of the disability tax credit.

It is important to note that the approval rate for this tax credit in relation to mental health was actually at an all-time high for 2016 and 2017. We are investing $5 billion to ensure mental health supports for over 500,000 Canadians under the age of 25.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, eligibility for the disability tax credit for diabetics depends on whether they require 14 hours of life-sustaining therapy per week, according to section 118 of the Income Tax Act. A doctor certifies whether they meet that requirement. However, the Prime Minister's revenue minister wrote a letter, in which she said that it was unlikely for diabetics to reach that requirement. She is overriding the decision of doctors.

Will he tell her to stop interfering politically and cancel this tax increase on our most vulnerable Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that Canadians do not believe Conservatives when they come forward with these sorts of things. It is the Conservative government that cut health benefits for refugees. The Conservatives are the ones who shuttered nine veteran services offices. That was one of the things Canadians asked us to fix, that we restore those benefits and that we demonstrate the kind of compassion Canadians expect of their government, which they went without for 10 years. That is exactly what we are focusing on doing. We are ensuring that all Canadians who have access to these credits and benefits get access to them.

Ethics

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the scandal surrounding the Minister of Finance has become the Prime Minister's kryptonite.

The minister introduced a rotten bill, Bill C-27, which made shares in his company, Morneau Shepell, go up. When the minister was caught red-handed making money while in a conflict of interest, he admitted his guilt and said that he would pay everything back.

Is that what life is like in the wonderful world of millionaires? When you get into trouble, you get out the cheque book and assume that $5 million will make everything go away?

If the Minister of Finance is not living on another planet far away from middle-class Canadians, he will withdraw Bill C-27.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, we recognize that opposition members have an obligation to try to make personal attacks on government members, but in our democratic system, our parliamentary system, we have commissioners who are responsible for ensuring that rules are followed and to fix any issues that come up.

Canadians have confidence in this system and all parliamentarians can have confidence in it. This is how our political system operates.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the head honcho at Morneau Shepell told investors in 2013 that legislation was required to open up that lucrative Canadian market to attack defined pensions. As minister, he gave them Bill C-27 and, voila, stocks in Morneau Shepell went through the roof. He made “gazoodles” of money, and now he has been found guilty of what, a $200 fine?

The Prime Minister calls that raising the bar. That is more like an open bar for Morneau Shepell. Meanwhile, Canadian pensioners remain at the mercy of that privatized pension king of Bay Street.

Will the Prime Minister withdraw Bill C-27 and put his minister in his place?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to our seniors, it is this Minister of Finance who negotiated a historic strengthening of the Canada pension plan within his first months of being in office. This is a minister who increased the guaranteed income supplement for our most vulnerable seniors by close to $1,000. This is the minister who ensured the retirement age would decrease from 67 to 65 for all Canadians, because that was the right thing to do.

We have been focused on supporting our seniors and pensioners, and on this side of the aisle we always will.

Infrastructure

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals just introduced their budget bill, which joins Canada to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The government is going to transfer up to half a billion dollars into this bank for infrastructure outside of Canada, while at the same time the PBO reports the government is behind on infrastructure spending within Canada.

Why is the government spending money on infrastructure projects halfway across the world when it is behind on fixing our worn out bridges, roads, and highways right here at home?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the member opposite, our party ran on a platform of investing in our communities, of putting forward record amounts of infrastructure investments—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. I know it is Wednesday, and members are really happy to be here and are excited. They want to all get in on the action, but they have to wait their turn.

The right hon. Prime Minister has the floor.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we chose to invest in our communities, to invest in infrastructure, bridges, roads, public transit systems, and wastewater systems that our municipalities and provinces needed, that our citizens needed.

We are going to continue to do that. We are going to continue to do that in the right way to benefit the growing of the economy, and support the middle class and those working hard to join it.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Canada is our home.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. I would encourage the hon. member for Richmond Centre not to be yelling in the House when she does not have the floor.

The hon. member for Lévis—Lotbinière.

Privacy

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are very worried about the creation of a high-tech neighbourhood in Toronto.

This data centre will house a lot of personal information about Canadians, and we are very worried about this data collection.

In similar cases in the U.S., stored data is governed by the Patriot Act. However, what guarantees do we have that this information will be kept confidential here in Canada, in Toronto?

Who will make sure that the personal information of Canadians remains confidential, and where will this data be stored?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, this government takes the responsibility of protecting Canadians' privacy and personal information very seriously.

That is why we are working hard to improve and modernize our systems to show that Canadians control the information of Canadians. We know that it is important on this planet, in the era of globalization, to make sure our information is safe. That is why we are working hard on this.

[Matt Jeneroux, Conservative, Edmonton Riverbend, AB]

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Prime Minister was in Toronto with Google to announce the construction of a high-tech neighbourhood. The Google experiment will use data gained from cameras, smart phone apps, and sensors to design and maintain the project. However, Canadians are concerned and want to know who owns the data, and what will be done with it.

What guarantees will the Prime Minister give that the privacy of Canadians will be protected?