House of Commons Hansard #231 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was firearms.
Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned that the U.S. commerce department has made its final decision regarding the duties that will be imposed on Canadian softwood lumber.
Export duties of up to 21% will jeopardize 11,000 jobs in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. The government knew that this decision was imminent, but the Liberals continue to slip up and have made little to no progress when it comes to protecting the softwood lumber industry.
When will they take charge of the situation and save these jobs?
Andrew Leslie LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)
Mr. Speaker, the punitive duties imposed by the U.S. commerce department are unfair and deeply troubling. Our forestry industry has never been found guilty in previous cases. We will challenge this decision before the courts and we will win, as we have done on every past occasion.
We want a good agreement for Canada, not just any deal.
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canada has the longest coastline in the world and the health and protection of our coasts are critical to our environment, our economy, and to all Canadians. Our Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans hears many different views on how to prosper, but everyone agrees we have to protect our waters and our shorelines.
It was a year ago today that the Prime Minister introduced the oceans protection plan. Could the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard update us on our progress?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, one of the four pillars of our oceans protection plan is strengthening partnerships with indigenous communities, including building local emergency response capacity. Just last week, the first session under the indigenous community response training project wrapped up in Bamfield, British Columbia. Nine members from seven northern first nations graduated from the coastal nations search and rescue course, enhancing this important capacity for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, we will do what it takes to protect Canada's oceans.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, we know the excuse writers in the Prime Minister's Office are working overtime as new Liberal ethics and conflict issues accumulate. However, Canadians are still waiting for a few meaningful answers from the Minister of Finance.
He was found guilty and fined by the Ethics Commissioner for hiding his French corporation for two years. He has effectively admitted guilt for hiding his shares in Morneau Shepell for two years. Now the minister still owns other numbered companies.
What new conflicts might we find if the contents were revealed to Canadians?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House that I have and will continue to disclose all my assets to the Ethics Commissioner. What that does is allow us to get on with the work we want to do for Canadians.
I am also pleased to report to the House that this work is having a real impact. We have now passed 500,000 new jobs in the country since we were elected. We have the lowest unemployment rate in a decade. Canadians are more confident than they have been in years, and it is showing up in the growth rate we are seeing across our country.
Our plan is working, and we are going to continue the hard work on behalf of Canadians.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, to be or not to be, that is the question. In this tragic comedy entitled, “The latest Liberal scandal”, we wonder who has the lead role. Is it the Minister of Finance or the Prime Minister? We have not gotten any answers to simple questions for weeks. What exactly are they hiding? Why will they not answer? Are they rewriting a new chapter to the story, “Gomery 2”, or will they finally answer this simple question. What is the Minister of Finance hiding with his companies?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. In our first two budgets, we invested nearly $1 billion, allowing us to hire 100 auditors and achieve record results. There have been 627 cases transferred to criminal investigations, 268 search warrants executed, and 78 convictions.
The work has only just started. We will see it through.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians want to know what the Minister of Finance has been hiding from them over the past two years. They know he hid his stocks in Morneau Shepell. They know he hid his ownership in a French corporation, an act for which he was found guilty by the Ethics Commissioner. Over the last two years, he has not disclosed what he has owned in his various numbered companies.
I have a simple question. He may have disclosed yesterday, but the previous two years he has not disclosed to Canadians what is in his numbered companies. What is he hiding?
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is incorrect. I have disclosed what is in all my companies to the Ethics Commissioner. From day one, I have disclosed 100% of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner.
That is what allows us to do the work that we are doing on behalf of Canadians, the work that we started two years ago when we found ourselves with an economy that was not growing fast enough. We decided that we had a choice, and the choice was to create jobs for Canadians.
It is working, with more than 500,000 new jobs over the last two years, a situation where our economy is growing faster than it has grown in a decade. This is helping Canadian families to succeed.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, it is very typical of the Minister of Finance, playing games with words and semantics. However, the spirit of disclosing his assets, by which he was found guilty by the Ethics Commissioner, he is absolutely guilty of and he does not have the decency to admit it to Canadians. This is why they do not trust him.
I have a very simple question. If the Minister of Finance had nothing to hide over the last two years when he was regulating industries that he may have owned shares in, why does he not tell Canadians what he owned in the last two years in his numbered companies? No semantics.
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we do not play games and we do not use semantics. What we do is we disclose what we need to disclose in order to make sure we can get on with the work. By disclosing all my assets to the Ethics Commissioner—
EthicsOral Questions
The Speaker Geoff Regan
Order, please. Earlier I asked members to try to not be provoked by things. People on both sides will sometimes say things that some might find provocative, but the challenge for all of us is to be like most members in the House, of all parties, who are able to sit through question period and hear things they might consider provocative without reacting.
The hon. Minister of Finance has the floor.
Bill Morneau Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, what we are doing on this side of the House is we are very focused on ensuring Canadians are successful. The good news is that it is absolutely working. Canadians have a higher level of confidence because they actually have more money. The Canada child benefit and the tax reductions we have put in place have allowed people to put money back into our economy, which is helping all of us to succeed. It is a good news story for Canadians.
Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC
Mr. Speaker, I really cannot figure out what the Minister of National Revenue does not understand.
While she drags her feet, the Liberal Party's cronies continue to take advantage of the system that she is keeping in place. The Liberal Party of Canada's bagman, for example, sheltered millions of dollars from taxes in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands are a notorious tax haven with which Canada has signed a tax information exchange agreement. This agreement should have made the Canada Revenue Agency aware of the scheming Liberal cronies have been involved in.
Why do we have agreements with tax havens such as the Cayman Islands if they let the Liberal clique dodge their tax obligations?
EthicsOral Questions
November 7th, 2017 / 2:55 p.m.
Gaspésie—Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Québec
Liberal
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, unlike my colleague opposite, at least we have results to announce.
Over the past two years, we have invested more than $1 billion and our plan is bearing fruit. Four jurisdictions are identified each year. More than 100 auditors have been hired and 627 cases have been transferred to criminal investigation. There have been 268 search warrants and 78 convictions. That is just for starters. We are continuing our work as we promised Canadians in the last campaign. We will continue with this work all through our mandate.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, we all wondered how the Liberals were going to try to change the channel from the Morneau Shepell fiasco. Who knew they would be using a massive tax haven scandal to get our minds off their massive ethics scandal. To make matters worse, the Liberals have been hiding how much money is lost to these tax havens. For years they fought against the release of the so-called tax gap in Canada. Just like Bill C-58, their no access to information bill, the Liberals deny basic information that is owed to Canadians.
Therefore, I have a very simple question. Will the government finally tell Canadians how much money its millionaire and billionaire friends actually owe this country?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of National Revenue
Mr. Speaker, we promised Canadians that we would look into the tax gap, and that is exactly what we are doing. Unlike the previous government, which systematically refused to look at the tax gap, we have opted for an evidence-based approach.
To date, the Canada Revenue Agency has proven its commitment to estimating the tax gap by producing three studies since June 2016. We are pursuing our efforts on this issue. That is what Canadians expect, and in the summer of 2018, we will be publishing a report on the international aspect of the tax gap.
Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON
Mr. Speaker, the latest Liberal budget, which joins Canada to the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, will send up to $500 million overseas for infrastructure, yet the Liberals are not delivering on infrastructure at home.
Just several weeks ago, Toronto said that Ottawa was making unreasonable demands and could pull $121 million in TTC funding from the federal government. Why are the Liberals so eager to send infrastructure money overseas, while neglecting to spend on desperately needed roads and transit right here at home?
Marc Miller LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, we are proud to have approved, as the member well knows, more than 4,000 projects since taking office, with a combined investment of more than $35 billion. Federal investments are enabling these projects to move forward. As the hon. member knows, the federal contributions are paid when the expense claims are submitted by our partners.
We will continue to work with our partners to move their priorities forward and provide the flexibility necessary to meet those requirements. We are in ongoing discussions with the province, and we trust its judgment in telling us what the priorities are.
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Speaker, the municipalities have yet to enjoy the benefits of this supposed flexibility.
After receiving some generous donations from Asian proponents, the Liberal Party is going to invest $480 million in the Asian infrastructure bank. It is sad to see this government unwilling to give our infrastructure here in Canada the same attention.
The Liberals are dangling tons of money before the municipalities, but some projects have been cancelled because of all of the unnecessary conditions being imposed.
Instead of prancing around Asia and working against our taxpayers and our municipalities, will the Prime Minister be a true partner to our municipalities?
Marc Miller LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, I will say it again: as the member well knows, we are proud to have approved more than 4,000 projects since taking office, with a combined investment of more than $35 billion. Federal investments are enabling these projects to move forward. As the hon. member knows, the federal contributions are paid when the expense claims are submitted by our partners. We will continue to work with our partners to move their priorities forward, and provide the flexibility necessary to meet those requirements. I am very proud to announce that several hundred projects are in the works in Quebec.
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, during the first quarter of this year, opioids killed over 900 Canadians. The government needs to help. The Liberals gave only $10 million to fight the opioid crisis but has no problem giving $500 million to the Asian infrastructure bank.
Why is the government sending $500 million to foreign billionaires, when we have Canadians dying in our streets by the hundreds? Canada is our home.
Bill Blair LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the member opposite has given us an opportunity to talk about some of the things our government is doing to address the opioid crisis. For example, our government has provided $10 million in urgent support to our provincial partners in British Columbia and $6 million to the Province of Alberta to assist with its response. That is in addition to $22.7 million ongoing of the $100-million commitment in budget 2017 to support national measures associated with the Canadian drugs and substances strategy to respond to this terrible health crisis.