Debates of Dec. 1st, 2017

Ethics

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is simple. We are calling for the resignation of the country's chief financial officer, given that he has lost our confidence.

The Minister of Finance is caught up in conflicts of interest. He forgot to declare his villa in Europe and he made transactions that will affect his own portfolio. With his Bay Street background, he should know the rules for these transactions.

Here, we are held to the highest ethical standards, and he is not living up to them. He is in a conflict of interest. He does not even consult Canadians about his measures—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the question from the member for Beauce is a perfect example of the Conservatives's tactics. They are conflating a bunch of different issues and making false, baseless accusations.

If the member wants to know whether I have confidence in the Minister of Finance and whether we have confidence in the Minister of Finance, he need only look to the job numbers posted just today, which show that we have created 600,000 jobs in the past two years. That is more than the Conservatives ever managed to do. Yes, the Minister of Finance has our full confidence.

Government Appointments

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has set a new record for unfilled appointments, including the appointments of parliamentary watchdogs. Yesterday, the Liberals released the names of their picks for the positions of official languages and lobbying commissioner. Once again, they failed to consult the opposition.

Our parliamentary leader requested the list of candidates so we could engage in something called “real consultation”. Will the government share the list of candidates for both appointments with the opposition, yes or no?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to official languages in general as well as bilingualism, it goes without saying that the NDP has lost all credibility. The NDP is now trying to undermine the credibility of the new Commissioner of Official Languages.

I do not really understand where my colleague is coming from. I consulted the NDP critic last summer and he replied with a letter. Last week, I had another opportunity to talk with him. He made three requests: ensure that we consult the various official languages organizations, which we did; consult the opposition leaders, which we did; and appoint a candidate from Acadia, which we did.

We fulfilled all three requests and we have an excellent candidate in Raymond Théberge.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. We are talking about consultation. We want the government to work with the opposition.

It seems to me that the government learned nothing from the Madeleine Meilleur fiasco. The appointment of officers of Parliament who work for every member of the House should be done in consultation with the opposition, in other words through real consultation with the recognized parties in the House.

I will repeat my simple question. Will the government share the list of members of the selection committee and the people on the list of finalists, yes or no?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, we consulted the leaders of the recognized parties on the matter of appointments, including the appointment of the lobbying commissioner. Once her appointment is approved by Parliament, Ms. Bélanger will have a seven-year term.

We welcome all ideas, proposals, and people from all parties in this process, which is truly open and transparent, something we are proud of.

Public Safety

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this would have been a lot less complicated if we had adopted the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley's motion for a real appointment process for officers.

On another topic, yesterday, the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security met with the Minister of Public Safety only for one hour on a 138-page omnibus bill, Bill C-59.

We cannot fast-track issues relating to our national security, rights and freedoms, and the privacy of Canadians. Spending one hour with the minister and two hours with heads of agencies is simply not enough.

Can the minister commit to come before the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, and once again answer members' questions on this omnibus bill?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, never before have Canadians been so engaged on the issue of national security. In fact, the broadest consultations in Canadian history happened on Bill C-59.

I want to thank the member opposite and the committee as well for their months of work in the study of the national security intelligence framework. The minister was able to point directly to the work of the committee and how it influenced the creation of that bill. This is an excellent example of not only profound and deep national consultation, but the committee working excellently together. Because the bill has been moved at first reading, I look forward to working with the member in a very open way to make sure we—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's compliments, but we are talking about the minister appearing for one hour on a 138 page bill, which, by the government's own admission, is the biggest overhaul of pieces of legislation in 30 years. If the Liberals think that is sufficient, then they do not understand what they are doing. It just does not work.

This is in a context where we are hearing more and more about some of CSIS's questionable spying practices, with the use of things like stingray technologies. There are still many questions about a too low threshold for information sharing in the current legislation. There are issues around new powers for CSE, a whole slew of questions that we have not even had a chance to ask.

In its new legislation, when will the government finally take Canadians—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the changes we have tabled are not only comprehensive but are recognized as really being on the vanguard in leading the world on the issue of bringing our protection of Canadians, both their security and their rights, to bear. We are at the beginning of this process.

The member knows I am at the committee every day. I am at his disposal to answer his questions any day of the week. The committee proceedings are following detailed work that was done on the security and intelligence framework, and the most exhaustive consultations that happened on a national basis. I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Ethics

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the first duty of the opposition is to ask questions about the facts, which we are doing. The first duty of the government is to answer, which it is not doing.

We have asked the Minister of Finance dozens of times over a period of more than a week now whether he was the person who sold 680,000 Morneau Shepell shares valued at about $10 million one week before his tax policy was introduced in 2015. Not once did we get even a hint of a specific answer.

Could the Minister of Finance finally stand up and come clean with Canadians? That is what they want.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member was listening to the Minister of Finance this week, because the minister repeatedly said that he sold these shares that November and December, after coming to Ottawa, and that he even gave nearly $5 million to charity.

Yes, the opposition's role is to ask questions and hold the government to account, but that does not include making personal attacks, which regrettably is what we heard in the House this week. There was not a hint of insider trading in the transaction that was carried out. No need to take my word for it, however.

This was in a CBC News column this morning, “To be clear: there is zero actual evidence that [the finance minister] engaged in insider trading.”

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like the parliamentary secretary to quote the finance minister's exact answer when he confirmed whether it was his shares that he sold on November 30, 2015. This was a very clear and specific question, and the minister has never given me anything close to a real answer.

Could the Minister of Finance finally rise and give Canadians a clear answer? We have asked him about 75 questions. Could he finally give us an answer?

Was he the one who sold the 680,000 shares? We are not talking about buying a pair of socks. We are talking about 10 million dollars' worth of shares.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has been clear. He sold some shares that November and December. He was very clear about that. Why is this worth talking about? That is the question.

Could the member tell me how that could have made any difference? We are talking about a clear tax measure, one that was public knowledge. It was no secret that we said we were coming back to Ottawa to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% and lower them for the middle class. How could that have had any sort of impact on the stock market or on one particular stock? I would like him to tell me that.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, while the finance minister has not told us much, he has said that he gave direction to sell some shares in his family company when he came into office. He said he did not remember exactly when, just like he did not remember he owned a company in France. These non-answers simply raise more questions.

Why did the finance minister not take the opportunity to sell all of his shares in Morneau Shepell when he was first elected instead of hiding them in a numbered company in Alberta?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand the line of reasoning. The Conservatives are saying that he should have sold all of his shares, or he should not have sold all of his shares.

The fact is that what I see from this week on the part of opposition members is that they want to talk about anything else but the economy. On that front, the finance minister has delivered for Canadians more than the Conservatives ever could in the 10 years they were in power. We have 600,000 jobs created, with most of them full-time; the fastest growth in the G7; and the unemployment rate is the lowest in a decade. This is the finance minister's record.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, what we have learned is that the Minister of Finance is quite forgetful. He forgot to disclose the company that held his French villa. He forgot to ask the Ethics Commissioner for clearance to introduce Bill C-27. He cannot seem to recall when he sold 680,000 shares in Morneau Shepell.

Perhaps he will remember this. Before he made his late November 2015 sale of those 680,000 shares, did the minister clear it with the Ethics Commissioner first?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives forgot, for 10 years, to grow the economy and to take care of the middle class. That is something the finance minister has done remarkably well in the last two years, creating 600,000 jobs and growing our economy at the fastest pace in the G7.

I understand why the Conservatives do not want to talk about it. They focus on the finance minister, making all sorts of false and baseless accusations they would not dare repeat outside.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has been asked directly, many times, if he was the one who sold 680,000 shares of Morneau Shepell stock on November 30, 2015. He said that he gave instructions to sell some stock when he was elected 42 days earlier but says he does not know, or will not say, when the sale happened.

The minister seems to have a hard time recalling specifics about his assets, like forgetting that he owned a French company for two years. I will make it easy. Can the minister confirm if the number of shares he gave instructions to sell was in fact 680,000?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has said time and time again in this House that he sold shares when he took office, when he arrived in Ottawa, and that he has always worked, as well, with the Ethics Commissioner to make sure that all the rules are followed. He followed her recommendations to the letter when she said to put in place a conflict of interest screen. That is what he has done.

The finance minister has been working for the last two years to grow this economy, to create jobs for Canadians, and to reduce inequalities, and he has done it remarkably well.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there have been multiple issues with the finance minister: not having his assets in a blind trust after he said he did and would; controlling assets in numbered companies; not declaring a French corporation; introducing Bill C-27, for which he is now under investigation, a pension change that could directly affect his company; and now, this share issue.

Why can the finance minister not see how Canadians find it hard to trust him after he has broken their trust?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I think the 600,000 Canadians who have gotten jobs over the last two years as a result of the work of this government, of this finance minister, who has created the conditions for prosperity for all in this country, would have the utmost confidence in the finance minister.