House of Commons Hansard #228 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was finance.

Topics

Softwood LumberAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

The hon. member for Saskatoon West.

Public TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

November 2nd, 2017 / 6:40 p.m.

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, in responding to me about the cancellation of STC, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport said the federal government delegates this responsibility to the provinces and the private sector.

That is all well and good, but if a province refuses to take responsibility and the private sector declines to take responsibility, which is contrary to a letter I received from the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and municipalities lack the capacity, what are people supposed to do? Not go to the doctor or the hospital? Not attend post-secondary education? Not visit family and friends? Beg for rides from neighbours or strangers? If every level of government is unwilling or unable to provide support, who should vulnerable people turn to?

People across western Canada, from British Columbia to Manitoba, and in northern communities in Quebec and Ontario, have already raised the alarm that we are on the cusp of a remote and rural transportation crisis. Isolating people in northern, rural, and remote areas contributes to poorer health outcomes and poorer quality of life.

We have seen the impacts and heard testimony of the real dangers of no affordable, safe transportation systems when we heard the stories of missing and murdered women, primarily indigenous women, on the Highway of Tears in British Columbia. The Liberal government committed to help people there stay safe.

In my home province of Saskatchewan, the consequences of losing our provincial bus service are already becoming clear. In the months after the closure, several people died trying to get between cities. One of my constituents was unable to access the medical treatment she required in another city. Elderly people all over the province of Saskatchewan are losing their independence for want of a bus service.

The member opposite and many people outside the province of Saskatchewan believe the STC to be some sort of luxury, that somehow a subway in Toronto or light rail in Vancouver are worthier of federal support and leadership. In reality, it is not a luxury and much more important, in my home province of roughly one million people, it really does function as our subway.

In Saskatchewan, 50% of the population live outside urban centres. We face today, as we have always faced, unique challenges because of this. We need affordable transportation that people can access. The province of Saskatchewan has roads enough to circumvent the earth seven times. Saskatchewan people need to know that at least the federal government cares about the safety of everyone living in the province.

Even a cursory reading of the STC financial statements will reveal that the Saskatchewan Party government spent years inflating the costs, and then exaggerated its budget for the future. It eliminated a service that for many people living in remote, rural, or northern communities was absolutely essential.

I call upon the government to answer one question. If the government delegates responsibility to a province that is unwilling to live up to that responsibility, and the private sector is unable to take up that responsibility, then what are the people of my home province who require that service supposed to do? Will the federal government step forward, find a role, and lead?

Public TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

6:40 p.m.

Kanata—Carleton Ontario

Liberal

Karen McCrimmon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Saskatoon West for her question and for her advocacy on behalf of her community.

We have said time and time again that no relationship is more important to Canada than the relationship with indigenous peoples. It is why our government has taken immediate action to better serve indigenous people and their communities, such as a new gender-based violence strategy, changes to the child and family welfare system for indigenous children, safe housing, shelters, and also working with the Province of British Columbia toward safe transport on the Highway of Tears.

Our government is making concrete investments now, including $2.6 billion over five years, to close gaps in education funding between on and off reserve, and as part of our gender-based violence strategy, construction of five new family shelters for those fleeing violence. We are committed to seeing all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action implemented, with more than two-thirds of those under federal or shared responsibility already under way.

We do recognize the need for safer transport for rural and indigenous communities. With respect to intercity bus services, the provinces must play a leading role in overseeing this sector. Under the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act, the federal government has indeed delegated the regulation of interprovincial bus carriers in federal jurisdiction to the provinces and territories. This includes establishing conditions of entry or exit of routes, and regulating rates and routings.

We agree that safe transport is key, and we do encourage the Government of Saskatchewan to consult with indigenous groups, municipalities, and other stakeholders to find innovative, alternative options for assisting with the provision of safe transportation services for Saskatchewan's people and communities.

Public TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, I just want to stress that, if there is any way, the people of Saskatchewan really need the federal government to extend a hand, to lead, and to offer to help us in some way.

People in my province have watched what happened on the Highway of Tears in northern British Columbia, and they are seeing how the federal government stepped in and helped out with safe transportation. Perhaps the federal government could look at this as an issue for first nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in my province, which is a relationship that the member has stated, and we have heard, that the government values as most important.

However, when we look at the issue, whether it is as access to health care, as a feminist issue, or as a public safety issue, I call upon the government to do something. Will the government work with the people of Saskatchewan to keep our people safe?

Public TransportationAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

Karen McCrimmon Liberal Kanata—Carleton, ON

Mr. Speaker, again, our government recognizes the need for safer transport for rural, isolated, and indigenous communities. Our government is working to advance reconciliation and renew that nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.

We encourage the Government of Saskatchewan to engage indigenous communities, other communities, and other vulnerable stakeholders in conjunction with the remaining bus service providers in the province to develop a strategy that addresses the need for rural transportation services in the province.

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise once again on the subject of the Official Languages Act and respect for our official language minority communities across the country.

On June 1, I asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage about her rather dismal record when it comes to official languages. A number of issues were raised, including the partisan appointment of Madeleine Meilleur, which was quite a fiasco. Despite all her great qualities, Ms. Meilleur was not the right choice for the position of Commissioner of Official Languages. She finally came to that conclusion herself and withdrew. Another issue were some errors that appeared in the French version of the Prime Minister's biography, not to mention the fact that the use of French is dwindling in the public service. A report was recently published about that.

Let us talk about the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. For nearly four days, we had no Commissioner of Official Languages. That is unbelievable. June 17 was the end of the interim commissioner's mandate, and during all that time, we had no idea what was happening. Parliamentarians and Canadians had no Commissioner of Official Languages to address their concerns to. It was a dark time in the history of official languages, and right on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act, which is coming up next year.

Four days later, the Minister of Heritage finally decided to extend the mandate of Ghislaine Saikaley, the acting commissioner of official languages. She has a new six-month contract now that the first six-month acting period has ended. The Minister of Canadian Heritage seemed to indicate that it would take roughly four months for everything to be resolved. July, August, September, and October have passed. We should have a new official languages commissioner by now, but we do not. Today, November 2, we still do not have any news about the process for appointing the official languages commissioner. The deadline is fast approaching and there is no progress, unfortunately.

What is more, the use of French is declining in the public service. This year, the commissioner received three times as many complaints about linguistic requirement violations in the federal public service. The absence of bilingualism in some management or supervisory positions prevents public servants from working in French. This is quite serious. I could go on about this because there is a lot to say on the matter, but since I am running out of time I will talk about something very serious that happened last week.

After supporting the bill on the bilingualism of Supreme Court justices three times, the Liberals unfortunately decided to vote against it now that they are in power. It is incomprehensible. They have no reason to oppose a bill that seeks to enhance the appointment criteria for Supreme Court justices to make sure they understand both French and English, the two official languages. That is why I have introduced two more bills, Bills C-381 and C-382, that seek to improve access to justice in both official languages.

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

Charlottetown P.E.I.

Liberal

Sean Casey LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Drummond for giving me an opportunity to recap what the Government of Canada has done to promote our two official languages.

Language of work in the federal public service is an important matter. Federal institutions must ensure that their workplaces are conducive to the use of both official languages. The federal public service must reflect the Canadian population it serves. Although much progress has been made over these years, more work and efforts are required before we can reach our goals and our vision.

The Clerk of the Privy Council has taken the initiative to examine the use of Canada's official languages in the federal public service, and to propose concrete measures to further foster the use of both official languages in the workplace. That is a good thing.

The Government of Canada has pledged to develop a new multi-year action plan for official languages that will come into effect on April 1, 2018. To that end, we held Canada-wide consultations on official languages, which allowed us to identify courses of action and initiatives that will inform the development of the next action plan for official languages. The plan will re-energize the government's efforts and strengthen the tools it can use.

The Government of Canada is tangibly reaffirming its commitment to improving the delivery of federal services in both official languages. For example, we announced a revision of the official languages regulations on communications with and services to the public. The President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Canadian Heritage are working closely to ensure that we are considering the best options to modernize the official languages regulations in an open manner, based on the consultations with all concerned parties.

The member for Drummond is undoubtedly aware that there will be a technical briefing on progress in this regard on Monday morning, at nine o'clock, at 131 Queen Street. We sincerely hope to see him there.

I will use the member for Drummond's question as an opportunity to remind the House of a few facts. This year, we held an interdepartmental forum that engaged the provinces and territories on francophone immigration issues and develop a concrete strategy to strengthen francophone communities outside Quebec.

This initiative was just one of the many concrete actions we have taken to support official language minority communities, such as the restoration of the long-form census, new investments in the Canada Council for the Arts and in our film industry, and the modernization of the court challenges program of Canada.

May my colleague, the member for Drummond, be assured that the Government of Canada is taking practical measures to protect our official languages, promote their use in Canadian society, and support the vitality of official language minority communities.

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Mr. Speaker, I will make every effort to attend the briefing, where I hope to ask many good questions.

I would like to come back to what was said about the use of French as an official language in the public service and the failure to respect linguistic duality. The Commissioner of Official Languages told #ONFR that she received three times the number of complaints:

In the past five years, the number of complaints filed with our office has risen steadily. We have also noted a new phenomenon: an increase in complaints from the federal public service, which represented more than half of last year's complaints. That is very concerning.

The parliamentary secretary mentioned some of the aspects studied by the government. It must now take concrete action to ensure better access to both official languages in the public service. First, there should be an official languages commissioner—

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Liberal

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is proud to foster the vitality of francophone and anglophone minority communities and to promote the use of our two official languages in Canadian society, including in the federal public service.

We firmly believe in the importance of providing federal services in both official languages wherever necessary and of having workplaces where our two official languages are on an equal footing. We will work with departments and federal institutions, including the Clerk of the Privy Council, to ensure that our institutions continue to reflect the two official languages and Canadian values.

Our official languages are very important to the Government of Canada. We will continue to take concrete measures to protect our official languages.

Official LanguagesAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

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

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

(The House adjourned at 6:58 p.m.)