Debates of Nov. 6th, 2017

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think Canadians want any advice from a past government that ran deficit after consecutive deficit. In fact, the Conservatives left a country that was lacking in infrastructure, that had depleted infrastructure, and that was lacking in social programs, which put us far behind. It is like deferred maintenance on a house. One can only patch a leaky roof so much. The actions this government has taken are to bring this house, this beautiful country of Canada, back into the 21st century, where middle-class Canadians will have a good standard of living, where middle-class Canadians can expect good public transit, and where middle-class Canadians can expect a good education for their children. That is the priority of this government, and that is the priority this country elected us for.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear that my hon. colleague has connected with constituents, as I do at my “coffee with Don” in my riding.

My question on the budget has to do with the critical areas of housing and infrastructure. My hon. colleague and I both come from British Columbia, and he would well know that there is a housing crisis in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and in other areas of the country. An entire generation of Canadians cannot afford to buy a house, and now, increasingly, cannot even afford to rent a place in the Lower Mainland. It is affecting businesses, slowing our economy, and crushing the dreams of a generation of people who cannot live in the place they grew up in.

I would like my hon. colleague to tell me what in the budget will produce affordable housing for British Columbia. How many units will be produced in the Lower Mainland as a result of this budget?

Second, on the infrastructure the government was elected to produce, can he please tell me what major infrastructure projects the budget will fund in British Columbia?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I share a lot of flights with the hon. member for Vancouver Kingsway, and I want to remind him that “Chai with Sarai” sounds a lot better than “Coffee with Don”. However, I welcome his method to connect with his constituents.

Our government has committed over $11 billion on the national housing front. We have committed to a national housing strategy. This is our government's commitment not to have a patchwork or knee-jerk reaction but to come up with a comprehensive strategy, working with all stakeholders—the provinces, the municipalities, and the charities that run the current programs to take people off the streets and put them in housing—to bring more Canadians into proper homes and help those who are having affordability challenges, specifically in the Lower Mainland. We want those who have been born and raised there to be able to live in their own homes. I am committed to working with the government on that.

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned that in his riding of Surrey Centre, there is a population of 500,000, and 35,000 new jobs have been created. It is similar to my region of Kitchener and Waterloo. I want to ask how the investments have helped in his region and how job growth has increased because of those investments.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure announcements have helped in terms of the ability to actually build new housing. In my riding of Surrey Centre, public transit had not been increased in over 20 years. It was 1986 when the last fixed light rail or transit line came in for the Sky Train. No expansion had ever been done. Due to the commitment and the $50 million given to create the plans for the new LRT line, we have seen more high-rises, more condos, and more apartments being built than ever before. That comes from the commitment investors, developers, and the business community have seen this government making in terms of building infrastructure to provide quick and affordable public transportation.

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I should first announce to all members that I will be concentrating my remarks today more on the budget tabled on March 22 of this year than on Bill C-63, which I am sure all members understand is the BIA, or the budget implementation act. That act would, of course, enact certain provisions contained in the budget. Since they both flow together, all my remarks will be primarily concentrating on the budget itself.

First and foremost, in my opinion, at least, budget 2017 was a terrible budget. In fact, I do not think it would be unfair to say that it was a socialist budget. I use that term, because I am reminded of the famous words of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who once opined that the reason socialism will never work is that eventually socialists “run out of other people's money.” Unfortunately, the Liberal government has not figured that last part out. I believe it thinks money grows on trees, because it is spending it like drunken sailors, thinking there is a never-ending supply of currency. We all know that this is simply not true, but perhaps that is a debate for another day.

What I will attempt to do today is talk about why I believe this socialist budget is so bad. This budget tabled March 22 is basically a combination of two things: it is a budget of broken promises, and it is a budget of higher taxes. I say higher taxes because we know, based on a recent study by the Fraser Institute, that fully 81% of Canadians considered to be in the middle class will now be paying $840 a year more in taxes than they were before. This comes from a government that is proud to stand in this House day after day to say how it has lowered taxes for the middle class. In fact, it has not. It has done just the opposite.

It is also a budget filled with broken promises. As one of my colleagues quite correctly pointed out just a few moments ago, when the Liberal government was running for election in 2015, it promised to run modest deficits of no more than $10 billion a year for the first four years, and then by election year, 2019, it would return to balance. Has it done that? Not at all.

In fact, what is truly alarming is the fact that when asked the question, both the Prime Minister and the finance minister said that they did not know when the government would return to a balanced budget. In my opinion, the reason they did not know is that they could not answer the question. They have absolutely no idea how to get back to balance, and if they do, when that would take place.

If the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of any corporation said to their board of directors that they did not know when they would be perhaps returning to a profitable situation, I would suggest that both those officers would not be long in their jobs. I think that is what is going to happen in this case. The Government of Canada is, in effect, a corporation, a business, albeit a very large business. If the chief executive officer, that being the Prime Minister, and the chief financial officer, that being the finance minister, do not know when they could return to balance, I believe they should be fired, and I think they will be fired come 2019. It is not just the fact that they made promises they cannot keep. The truly alarming situation we have in front of us is that they simply do not know the answer to a very simple question: when will they return to balance? They cannot even give an approximation of when they will return to balance, and that is truly frightening.

Canadians expect more of their government. Canadians expect more of any government. However, for a government to freely admit, and to take some pride in admitting, that it will be running deficits that could go on in perpetuity, and that it does not know how to get back to balance, there is no pride in that, only shame, and the Canadian public is finally starting to figure that out.

I would suggest to my friends opposite, if they truly care about the Canadian taxpayer, as they so often repeat in this place, they would take immediate steps to try to find out how to return to balance. Second, they would implement provisions within their own spending regime to get back to balance. It is not that they have a revenue problem. They have a spending problem.

Some would argue there is an easy way to get back to balance, and that is to raise taxes. Quite frankly, I think my friends opposite are taking that to heart because they seem to be raising taxes on just about everything. That is not the way to run a government.

Conservatives believe in lower taxes and balanced budgets. That is a foreign concept to many on the opposite side of the aisle, I am sure, but it has proven to be effective in years past. Also, if the government truly wants to return to balance, it should start listening to some of its former colleagues. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, for example, returned to balanced budgets after a few years of serious deficits, caused by the worldwide global recession. I suggest to my friends opposite that they take a page out of that playbook and look at what they need to do to return to balance. It would certainly not be by spending, like they are today. It is about fiscal restraint, a foreign concept to many of the members opposite.

If the finance minister wants to prove his competence to the Canadian public, he should start looking in the mirror whenever he delivers an economic forecast and economic update, because we know now, if we did not before, that the finance minister, encouraged by his Prime Minister, is in the middle of a very serious conflict of interest.

I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that every single person in the country, from the time they first achieve cognitive thought, knows the difference between right and wrong, and what the finance minister has done by attempting to hide $20 million in shares in a numbered company in Alberta is simply wrong. The Prime Minister and the finance minister have a choice to do what is right, and do what is right for all Canadians. I sincerely hope they do. The right course of action would be for the finance minister to step down and the Prime Minister to accept his resignation.

Municipal Elections

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the winds of change really blew through Quebec during yesterday's municipal elections. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to commend each and every candidate, because it takes courage to run for office.

I would also like to congratulate the winners, but I am especially proud of the women who won. The people of Montreal, Saguenay, and Rouyn-Noranda elected a woman mayor for the first time ever.

Women are increasingly claiming their place not only in Montreal, Saguenay, and Rouyn-Noranda, but also in Brossard, Longueuil, my own region of Repentigny, and all across Quebec. However, those victories must not distract from the fact that there is still much work to be done to encourage more women to get into politics. Yesterday, less than one-third of the candidates were women.

Let us hope that the victories of the new and re-elected women mayors will prove that there is room not only for women, but also for their highest ambitions.

Status of Women

[Jati Sidhu, Liberal, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hard work of the Wonder Woman Society based in Mission, British Columbia.

The Wonder Woman Society is a non-profit organization that supports women's education, employment, business, and health in our community and across B.C. The vision for the Wonder Woman Society is to create a network for women to empower and inspire other women to reach their very best emotional, physical, and mental health.

On November 22, the Wonder Woman Society will be hosting its first annual fashion show fundraiser. This event will bring together over 200 women from across the Fraser Valley. I am proud to support both this event and the long-term work of the Wonder Woman Society.

When a woman changes her life, she changes her family, her community, and her world. I applaud the society's work by empowering women to take advantage—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Simcoe—Grey.

Youth

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to recognize the official grand opening of the Collingwood Youth Centre. This month, over 200 local youth and volunteers will gather to celebrate this next chapter in its history.

When the original facility closed in 2016, the Rotary Club of Collingwood South Georgian Bay, under the leadership of Juanita Hodgson, took the leadership role to find a new vision for this centre. In addition, the Rotary Club, Blue Mountain, the Collingwood Business Development Centre, The Environment Network, Elephant Thoughts, and a local builder, Ray Smith, put their heads together and made this happen. Thanks to their hard work, Collingwood youth will now have access to a wide series of programs that will allow them to be successful in the future.

I am so proud of the great work they have done. Congratulations again to every one who has made this happen. It is going to be outstanding for Collingwood Youth.

Paulette Gagnon

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my riding of Sudbury is the future home of Place des arts, the largest cultural centre that Canada has seen in the past 25 years .

The very accomplished, clever leader behind this project was a remarkable figure in the cultural community, my friend Paulette Gagnon.

Ms. Gagnon passed away on October 13. Originally from Hearst and a proud Franco-Ontarian, Paulette had a very impressive career. She was the head of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française and of the Association des théâtres francophones du Canada.

Very few people are as passionate about standing up for the interests of artists and cultural groups as she was. People could not say no to her. She was a formidable leader and an architect of the French Canadian cultural community, which is now better equipped and better structured because of the work she did.

Paulette, I salute you, but most of all I thank you.

Valérie Plante

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to congratulate the new mayor of Montreal, my friend Valérie Plante.

As her son pointed out to her, Valérie's name will go down in history. To quote Valérie herself, “375 years after Jeanne Mance, Montreal finally has its first woman mayor”.

Most importantly, Valérie is a progressive and positive woman with the ability to bring people together. She puts people first and has a vision for the future of Montreal that makes the economy a priority while also focusing on public transit and social and affordable housing. Members know how important those things are to me.

A fresh wind is blowing across Montreal this morning, and I really look forward to working with Valérie.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new mayor of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais, and everyone on the borough council. They can count on me to bring the priorities of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to Ottawa's attention.

Veterans' Week

[Leona Alleslev, Liberal, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Veterans' Week is a time to honour Canadian veterans for their courage, their service, and their sacrifice.

This week, communities across Canada will come together to remember the men and women in uniform who answered the call of duty to protect our freedom.

In my riding, I am honoured to be marching with our service men and women in both the Aurora and Richmond Hill Remembrance Day parades to remember our local veterans.

I am also proud to attend Wellington Public School's Remembrance Day ceremony where students in Ms. Durham's grade 8 class will each be recognizing a local veteran from our community. I am honoured to be chosen as a local veteran by student Natalie Pineda.

I look forward to hearing more about the community.

I urge all Canadians to pause for a moment this Saturday and remember that the peace we enjoy today came at a price.

Our peace is not without sacrifice. Lest we forget.

Veterans Affairs

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on October 27, the Royal Canadian Legion launched their annual poppy campaign to raise funds in support of veterans and their families.

On the same day members of the Port Elgin Legion began preparing Christmas care packages for deployed service members. Last Christmas, Blair and Elizabeth Eby learned that a service woman from Port Elgin and her unit stationed in Iraq were desperate for a piece of home at Christmas time. The town rallied together with well wishes, and donations of art work, Tim Hortons coffee, and popcorn, which were quickly mailed out.

This year, Legion Branch 340 hopes to send Christmas boxes to two units stationed in Iraq and Latvia. This Veterans' Week, let us remember the Canadians who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, and the soldiers around the world who continue to fight for us.

We thank the Port Elgin Legion for all they do to support veterans and active service members.

Volunteerism

[Geng Tan, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to a highly dedicated team of volunteers in my riding.

The Pleasant View Community Recreation Committee has been offering after-school classes to children and adults for over 40 years. It is rare to see such a strong and long-lasting volunteer commitment by the same group of people. Some of them, who first got involved as young mothers, are now grandmothers but are still helping other families' children to enjoy learning opportunities.

The committee is making a significant and sustained contribution to their community. I salute the compassion and social engagement of this committee. It is my hope that their passion and love for community continue to inspire others to get involved.

Health

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 21, the health minister and I were invited to the Pacific Autism Family Network Hub in Richmond.

Our tour of their facility was both eye-opening and heartwarming.

This centre is a one-stop shop for special programs, support services, and specialized resources for families affected by autism spectrum disorder and related disorders.

Created through the vision of Sergio and Wendy Cocchia, and many others, the Hub is the first of its kind in North America.

I am grateful to Sergio, Wendy, and everyone at the centre for the warm welcome they gave me and for everything they do for so many families. I wish them every success with their expansion plans, which will allow them to extend their specialized services to more families across British Columbia.

Veterans Affairs

[Gord Brown, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over 93,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the Italian campaign in World War II. Six thousand paid the ultimate price and are buried in military cemeteries throughout Italy, and 19,000 more were wounded. These facts are little known in Canada and Italy.

The spirit, sacrifices, and commitment of these Canadians led to many defining moments of the campaign, and their actions have been described as heroic and pivotal. However, Canada's participation has been mostly misidentified as American or British. Thanks to the work of the Peace Through Valour committee this is changing. The committee unveiled a monument in June 2016 at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto and is currently working on a book.

On behalf of everyone in this place I want to recognize the Peace Through Valour committee for its work shining a light on Canadian soldiers' efforts in Italy.

Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the important work of Connie Newman and Doug Mackie, two outstanding individuals in my community.

Connie Newman was bestowed the Manitoba Council on Aging Recognition Award for her tireless work with numerous advocacy groups for seniors. I had the pleasure of working with her personally to address the issues facing seniors in my riding.

Doug Mackie opened the first Men's Sheds in Manitoba, to create a community space where senior men could help each other get through difficult times. Members have credited Doug and Men's Sheds as having given their lives renewed purpose. Doug was selected as one of 150 leading Canadians for mental health, and I look forward to highlighting Doug's great work at our upcoming Spirit of Giving event on November 18.

It is community members like Connie and Doug who define the best of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley as a welcoming and inclusive place for all, and it is my honour to stand in the House to recognize their achievements.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend we celebrated the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion. His mission was to create a universal religion of compassion, love, and kindness, and to reinforce that we are all children of the supreme being.

In the late 1400s, when women were severely oppressed, the Guru empowered them and uplifted their status by writing in a Sikh holy scripture that disrespecting women is unacceptable, that within her, man is conceived, from her are born saints and kings.

The three basic principles he taught were to lead an honest life, to help the poor, and to seek God within, by shunning Maya, meaning materialism, and by serving humanity and lifting up others.

The principles of Guru Nanak Dev Ji led to the daily prayer, “Nanak naam chardi kalaa, tere bhane sarbat ka bhala”, where every day a Sikh asks the Almighty for the well-being of all humanity in the worldwide community.

Canadian Farmers

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to travel to beautiful New Brunswick and P.E.I. to talk to our farmers in Atlantic Canada. Their innovation, diversity of product, and entrepreneurial spirit is incredible, but what I heard from these farmers is the frustration with Liberal policies affecting their farms, stifling their small businesses and their communities. After denying it for months, the Liberals had to admit that their changes would indeed impact the future of the family farm. Through all of this, the agriculture minister and Liberal MPs in Atlantic Canada were silent.

There is a great deal of anxiety among Canadian farmers. They do not trust the Liberal government and they have reason to be wary: a punitive carbon tax, critical trade agreements now in jeopardy, and crippling taxes on family farms show that agriculture is not a priority for the Liberal government.

As shadow minister for agriculture, I will continue to listen to our farmers, stand up for Canadian agriculture, and assure our producers in Atlantic Canada and across the country that the Conservatives will ensure that farmers in Canada have a powerful voice here in Parliament.

150th Anniversary of the First Meeting of Parliament

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on a chilly November afternoon, exactly 150 years ago today, on November 6, 1867, Canada's House of Commons met for the very first time. This historic event was a bold and courageous leap of faith toward building the great country that we in this House have the privilege to serve.

My hon. colleagues may be interested to learn that, as is still the tradition today, the first order of business was to elect a new Speaker of the House of Commons. Back in 1867, Canada was changing rapidly. There were just four provinces represented in the first Parliament, but this number would grow to six by the time it dissolved in 1873.

We stand on the shoulders of successive generations of Canadians and as members of Parliament, we must never ever lose sight of why we are here: to do our best to serve our constituents and build a better Canada for future generations.

Bankruptcy

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of people have come to Parliament Hill today to demand changes to Canada's inadequate bankruptcy and insolvency laws. These people have gathered here to reflect the profound support across Canada to make the laws fair for Canadian workers and their families.

The collapse of Sears Canada focused attention on the depth of unfairness in our system as workers are stripped of basic rights, like severance and termination pay, and retirees will see their pensions reduced, but the tragedy of Sears Canada is only the tip of the iceberg. Many of those joining us in Ottawa today know first-hand what happens when workers are put at the bottom of the list. They have lived with and seen these effects: workers losing jobs and benefits and pensioners losing pension and health care benefits.

I salute all those who have come to Parliament Hill today to demand change and the millions of Canadians across the country who support them. Our laws allow for legalized corporate theft, plain and simple, and it has to stop.

Shootings in Sutherland Springs

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise on behalf of the Conservative caucus to acknowledge the terrible act of violence that occurred on Sunday at a church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Regardless of the circumstances, cowardly, murderous acts like these, targeting families and friends, always leave us stunned and deeply saddened.

These victims were simply gathering with their community to celebrate their faith, a faith that is focused on joyous acceptance of others and love for our fellow human beings. For millions of people around the world, including Canada, and for our friends in the United States, faith is the wellspring for our principles and can be such a force for good.

We pray that in time God will grant the families and friends of yesterday's victims the peace that was so cruelly taken from them by a madman this weekend.

On behalf of the Conservative Party and my caucus, I wish to extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families.

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to share thoughts and heartfelt prayers for our American friends and neighbours in the wake of yesterday's senseless and horrific act of violence in Sutherland Springs. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to all those harmed.

That this attack occurred in a place of worship, a place of safety and peace, is beyond appalling.

We stand united with our friends and allies in the United States as we have always done, and as we will always do, in their time of mourning.

Presence in Gallery

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would like to draw to the attention of hon. members the presence in the gallery of the 16th Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Joe Clark; the 17th Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable John Napier Turner; the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney; the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Paul Martin; the 31st Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. John William Bosley; and the 34th Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. Peter Milliken.