Debates of Nov. 29th, 2017

Ethics

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Again, Mr. Speaker, we have courts that are very able to determine facts in cases like this. However, the member opposite, by only saying these sorts of things in this chamber, protected by parliamentary privilege, as we all should be, is demonstrating that he does not want to test his allegations in the courts. He does not want to actually have to stand behind his words in a court of law. That is the baselessness of the facts.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I want to remind the hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston that people on his side will have the chance to ask other questions, of course, and he should wait and allow them to do that, and not feel that he has to make the argument while someone else is speaking.

The hon. member for Carleton has the floor.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am simply asking the question. That side is demanding that we make allegations against the finance minister. It is a very strange way for question period to unfold.

The reality is that, if a chief financial officer sold stocks a week before disappointing quarterly financial results were released, losing his job would be the least of his problems. He would be fired. Will the CEO of the Government of Canada fire his CFO now?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Again we see, Mr. Speaker, that the opposition members are filled with sound and fury, signifying nothing. They refuse to actually follow up on the insinuations and allegations they made clearly in this House on Monday because they realized they went too far, because their desire to attack and to sling mud against the honour and integrity of people on this side of the House crossed some lines. That is why they are unable and unwilling to go out and repeat what they said on Monday outside of this House, which tells Canadians that this is nothing but bluster.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I invited the finance minister to meet me out in the foyer, where I could repeat the same question out there that I asked in here. Unfortunately, he was a no-show. I will give him another chance. Where and when would he like to meet outside of this chamber so I can ask the same question and maybe he could answer it?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

You see, Mr. Speaker, once again the member opposite seems a little bit muddled. This is the room for questions. For him to go outside is to make a statement—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. I know there are only 28 sleeps until Christmas, but members are too excited. The Right Hon. Prime Minister has the floor.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again we are happy to take questions inside this chamber. However, at issue are the statements that the members opposite made on Monday that they are unwilling to repeat outside. That is the question. Will the member for Carleton walk outside and repeat the statements made on Monday outside, where he is not hiding behind parliamentary privilege?

Employment Insurance

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Social Security Tribunal of Canada is a real disaster. Some unemployed workers have had to wait more than a year for a hearing. That is unacceptable.

During the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to reform this process. Two years later, nothing has been done. Although the Liberals have a KPMG report on how make the tribunal more efficient, they have yet to release it.

Are we to understand that the recommendations are not to their liking?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, after all the harm caused by the former Conservative government to workers across the country who counted on employment insurance, we made a commitment during the election campaign to reverse the changes to employment insurance made by the Conservative government.

That is exactly what we did. We are making sure that Canadians who have lost their jobs get the help they need, and we continue to make investments to ensure that happens. Our work is ongoing.

Media Industry

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the decline of print media is hitting our regions hard. Back home, in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, ad revenue at newspapers like Le Quotidien and Le Progrès week-end is dwindling.

Since the Liberal government claims to care about information, it must take action and support print media, just like it supported other industries in which so many jobs were at stake.

Will the government commit to providing temporary financial assistance to print media and help maintain good jobs, while the industry awaits a permanent solution?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we understand how much Canadians rely on local media to read the local news that brings them together as a community.

We will continue to spend millions of advertising dollars to support local newspapers. We recognize that the industry is going through a transformation. We will continue to support the media, because a democratic society needs strong, free media.

Government Appointments

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister announced today that his pick for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada is the Hon. Sheilah L. Martin.

This nomination will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, after a remarkable legal career.

Justice Martin had been sitting on the courts of appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. She previously sat on Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench and the Yukon Supreme Court.

Would the Prime Minister please inform the House how this selection was made?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Yukon for his question and his excellent French.

I am pleased to announce the nomination of the Hon. Sheilah L. Martin to the Supreme Court. With her wealth of experience and the many distinctions she has earned, she will be a valuable addition to the Supreme Court.

Justice Martin is my second nomination under our new selection process, which promotes greater openness, transparency, and accountability. We are committed to appointing justices of the highest calibre, functionally bilingual, and representative of our diversity.

Permit me also to once again thank Chief Justice McLachlin for her extraordinary service to Canada.

Ethics

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the Minister of Finance unable to answer questions and follow the rules, but he cannot count.

He said the deficit would be $10 billion; it was $20 billion. He said taxes would go up on the richest; in fact, the rich are paying $1 billion less. He said taxes would go down for the middle class, but 87% of them are paying more.

When will the Prime Minister do the right thing and fire this incompetent minister who cannot follow the rules?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are jealous of our economic record. For 10 years, they showed the lowest growth numbers since R. B. Bennett in the Great Depression.

We, in two years, by doing exactly what we committed to do in the election campaign, putting more money in the pockets of the middle class and those working hard to join it, have turned around the Canadian economy and shown that the Conservative policy of helping the rich and giving benefits to the most wealthy does not work.

We are delivering lower taxes for the middle class, raising them on the wealthiest one per cent, and helping Canadian families.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of the most wealthy, we know that those with good financial advice, who were privileged to know what they should do with their money, declared their income in the 2015 tax year. They sold their shares before the year finished, and therefore were taxed at a lower rate than they wanted charged on other people.

One of them might have been the finance minister, if he did in fact sell the $10 million worth of shares on November 30, 2015. Did he?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, again, we can see the dilemma in which the opposition finds itself.

We have demonstrated that on what was supposed to be their strength, the economy, our plan actually works far better than any of theirs ever did. It leaves them with very little to be able to attack us on.

The economy is doing well. The middle class is growing, and it is being supported. We are putting up the best growth numbers of anyone in the G7, thanks to our extraordinary finance minister.

All the opposition has to do is sling mud, make baseless allegations, and hide behind parliamentary privilege.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what is extraordinary is a finance minister who breaks the law and fails to report his offshore company.

What is also extraordinary is implying that he put all of his money in a blind trust, but in fact keeping it, knowingly, invested in a company he regulates. It is also extraordinary that he introduced a bill that would help that company with changes to pension law. It is extraordinary that after three days of questioning, he still cannot tell us if he sold shares in that company just a week before he introduced tax legislation.

With these extraordinary failures, will he resign?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we have a very simple principle of listening to Canadians. That is what we did for years while we were the third party in the House. That is what we continue to do to stay connected with Canadians.

Unfortunately, for 10 years, Stephen Harper did not do a very good job of listening to Canadians and over the past two years, we see that the Conservatives are doing exactly the same thing. They did not listen to Canadians tell them that baseless attacks and personal mudslinging jobs have no attraction with Canadians who want real—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Carleton. Order.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says they have one principle, actually they have two different principles, one for themselves and one for everyone else. For example, when the minister brought in his tax increase on small businesses, there was a higher rate for the pizza shop owner and the plumber, but no new taxes for his company Morneau Shepell. When he brought in his tax increase that would affect people on their capital gains, he made sure, or did he, to sell his shares before that tax increase came into effect while others would have to pay more.

Why will he not follow the simple principle of accountability?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, again, we see the challenge that the Conservatives find themselves in. A great example is our commitment to lower taxes on small businesses. For months, they spent all their time trying to scare small businesses like pizza shop owners and plumbers that we were going to hurt them or raise their taxes while we consistently said that we were going to stand up for them and ensure that the measures we had only affected the most wealthy. Then, at the end of it all, they find themselves unable to actually criticize us because we are doing the right thing, as we said we would, and they have—