Debates of Feb. 13th, 2017

International Trade

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there is every indication that the agricultural industry will be affected by the upcoming NAFTA negotiations. More specifically, several sources are reporting that the supply management sectors will be central to the negotiations.

Out of respect for Canadian farmers, will the Liberal government tell us what will be on the table during the upcoming negotiations and whether supply management is on that list?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague's question gives me an opportunity to say again that Canada's supply management system is a model of stability worldwide.

My hon. colleague is well aware that this is the party that fought hard to put supply management in place and this is the party that will work hard to make sure that supply management remains in place. My hon. colleague is well aware that we worked with the supply management system since we came into government and adjusted a number of things that needed to be adjusted, and we are also in favour—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Foothills.

Natural Resources

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, twice the Prime Minister has gone to the United States. He has met with two different presidents and their administrations, but both times he has left the Minister of Natural Resources here at home. When it comes to our resources, the United States is our biggest customer, but also our largest competitor. Had the Minister of Natural Resources had the opportunity to go to Washington, he might have been able to talk about some fairly important issues: softwood lumber, Keystone XL, Canadian jobs.

Either the Prime Minister has no confidence in the minister or Canada's natural resources sector is not a priority for the Liberal government. Which is it?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, since I am here, I will talk about our government's accomplishments in the natural resource sector, particularly the 24,000 jobs that we have created by approving pipelines, or I will talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have committed to infrastructure in the province of Alberta, or I will talk about the commitment of this government to make sure that the economy, energy, and the environment go hand in hand. We are going to prove that through accomplishments, not idle chatter, and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

Indigenous Affairs

[Georgina Jolibois, NDP, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK]

Mr. Speaker, two months ago, the indigenous affairs minister announced the Manitoba first nations school system, with those schools set to receive federal education funding, but in this agreement, barely one-third of the schools in Manitoba are included. To this day, most reserve schools across Canada are not being funded equally with public schools.

After decades of poor funding, will the minister fund all of the first nations schools and give all first nations children the best education?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, it was, indeed, a terrific announcement that we were able to make with the first nations in Manitoba that choose to work together on developing a school system, where they can develop their own curriculum, develop their own on-the-land programming, and their own professional development. This is a very historic day. This is an opt-in process, separate from the funding in the classroom, where communities that want to work together to develop their own school system come together with separate funding to do just that. We are very proud of that initiative.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Have a Heart Day on Parliament Hill. The purpose of this day is to ensure that all children have the services they need and are entitled to, yet the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found the government guilty of systemic discrimination against first nations children.

When will the minister walk the talk to end this discrimination?

Another 12-year-old girl took her own life this past weekend. How do those people sleep at night?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to reforming child and family services for first nations.

To close the gap in funding, we are investing over $1 billion over the next five years.

We are determined to work with first nations, the provinces, and the agencies to achieve real reform so that children need no longer live in fear and can achieve well-being.

National Defence

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2014, before our troops were ever deployed to Kuwait, the Conservative government ensured that they would be entitled to full danger pay. If the defence minister does not believe me, he can check Finance Canada's website. The first cuts by the Liberals were done on September 1, 2016. If the minister does not take action now, a lot more troops on other missions will be impacted in June. It is unjust for the Liberals to take away $1,800 each month from each of our troops who is in harm's way.

Will the minister stop funding the Prime Minister's out-of-control spending on the backs of our troops?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we will always ensure the well-being of our troops. During his first visit to Kuwait last year, the Minister of National Defence was made aware of these concerns. He asked the chief of the defence staff to look into the issue. An interdepartmental team is handling it. We have specific rules. We will move this file forward, and we will work with the relevant organizations in accordance with the recommendations.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been caught red-handed cutting the benefits of our soldiers deployed to fight ISIS. It is crass, it is crooked, it is disgusting; it is Liberal through and through. To cover up their incompetence, the Liberals are blaming the previous government, which actually did provide danger pay. It is disgusting. When an individual is responsible for a certain file, they should take care of it themselves. One should not ask a lackey to do one's job.

When will the minister finally resolve this issue?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is trying to score political points on the backs of our military personnel. The previous government did not hesitate to cut defence spending in the past. It did not hesitate to do so on the backs of our soldiers, our veterans, and their families. We will take no lessons from the Conservatives today regarding our support to members of our armed forces.

International Development

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Development admitted on a SiriusXM radio show that Canadians' international aid tax dollars could end up in the hands of ISIS fighters in the Middle East. Her excuse was that Canada must respect aid neutrality. We should never be neutral about mass slaughter, of those who use rape as a weapon, and those who pose the greatest threat to Canadian security. Organizations that assist ISIS should never receive Canadian taxpayer funding.

Instead of making excuses, will the minister do her job and cut funding to aid groups that are directly supporting ISIS fighters in the field?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, I have a clear mandate. It consists of refocusing Canada’s development assistance on helping the poorest and most vulnerable. I can assure the House that our department is working hard to ensure that everything is done properly with respect to all contracts awarded and all assistance given to our international partners. We are making sure that all of our partners are experienced partners and that the funds are used appropriately.

Aerospace Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, this past Friday, I was pleased to visit StandardAero in my riding to see the work it was doing to maintain engines for the CP-140 Auroras and CC-130H Hercules aircraft. StandardAero and the aerospace industry are important employers of good middle-class jobs in my riding.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement inform the House about recent investments in the aerospace industry in support of our Canadian Armed Forces?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, there is more good news for our men and women in uniform. We are committed to providing them with the equipment they need to do the job and to provide good paying jobs in Manitoba and across Canada.

Our government is proud to announce the award of contracts, totalling $90 million, for the maintenance and repair of engines for our military. These contracts in the west and in Ontario will not only help maintain the Royal Canadian Air Force's fleet of aircraft, but will also create and maintain 175 good paying jobs in Canada's aerospace sector.

Democratic Reform

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in November, the Chief Electoral Officer said that there was no way to restrict or prevent foreigners or foreign organizations from trying to influence Canadian elections, that there was no restrictions on unlimited third party spending for things like polling, phone banking, or election websites. At committee, the minister claimed that she was committed to ensuring there was no foreign influence in our elections.

However, actions speak louder than words. If the Liberals are truly committed to preventing foreign interference in Canadian elections, will they commit today to closing these loopholes?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his interest in the safety and protection of our democracy.

Canada has one of the most comprehensive political financing systems in the world that restricts foreign influence in Canadian elections. International entities cannot give money to political parties or candidates. Offences and penalties are in place for contravening these rules.

Transparency is a key aspect of the Canadian political financing regime. Political parties, candidates, and third parties all file reports with the Chief Electoral Officer on their contributions and expenses. I look forward to working with all members to ensure the integrity of our democratic system.

Status of Women

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every year, 5,500 cases of sexual assault are reported to police, but one in five are deemed to be unfounded. We need to create a culture that takes victims of sexual assault seriously, especially when 90% of sexual assaults are never reported.

However, we also need to call out misogyny and sexual harassment wherever it occurs, from the office to the Oval Office. How could the Prime Minister possibly sit down and discuss women in the workforce with President Trump, without first denouncing his mysogynistic comments?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that women are important contributors to our economy, both domestically and globally, and that when all citizens are included in the economy, we all benefit.

The fact that this is a priority at the first official meeting between our Prime Minister and the President is a reflection of how much we value innovation, promoting and advancing gender equality, and growing the economy. Our government is committed to increasing women's participation in the workforce. Having more women participating is good for our economy and society.

Social Development

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of sitting on the human resources committee, which has been studying poverty reduction, and travelling to communities across Canada, including my own riding of Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, to explore innovative ways our government can tackle poverty.

Could the minister please inform the House on his plans to implement a national poverty reduction strategy?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge for his great work on behalf of his constituents and as a member of the human resources parliamentary committee.

Our government is committed to enhancing the economic well-being of all Canadian families. Today, we launched two initiatives to support the development of our poverty reduction strategy: first, a nationwide consultation process; and second, the selection process for an advisory committee on poverty. We want to hear the views of all Canadians on how to help more Canadians join and grow the middle class.

Natural Resources

[David Yurdiga, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made a unilateral decision to ban Arctic oil and gas drilling in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut without consulting the premiers. Just two hours before telling the public, he had the courtesy to inform the premiers about his unilateral decision.

With such significant implications for territorial governments and northerners, what possible reason could justify not consulting with the premiers?