House of Commons Hansard #140 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-37.

Topics

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order. Order.

Most members are able to go through question period and hear things they do not like without reacting. We can all do that. As members know, the Standing Orders prohibit interruption. We need to hear the questions and the answers. Let us settle down a little bit.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect any Prime Minister to do two things: both defend Canadian values and stand up for the jobs and growth that we need. That is exactly what I have been doing, and that is what I will always do.

We were able to make sure that Americans understood fully and completely how many good jobs on both sides of the border depend on the close working relationship we have. That is what we will continue to focus on.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

NDP

Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, silence gives consent. When he was elected, the Prime Minister said that he would stand up for human rights around the world. Yesterday, he met with President Trump.

Did he take the opportunity, without preaching or lecturing, to share with the president his concerns that Canadians are facing discriminatory and dangerous measures? In short, did he stand up for human rights or did he do nothing?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, as Canadians know, there are always times when we do not agree with our partners and allies and, in this case, with the United States.

We will always be respectful, clear, and honest when we express our disagreement. We will also continue to focus on what unites our countries and the concerns we share. This includes shared concerns about jobs and a shared desire to help the middle class. We talked a lot about how we will build a prosperous economy for the middle class on both sides of the border.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

February 14th, 2017 / 2:25 p.m.

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

Mr. Speaker, the PM is consistent. He says nothing everywhere.

The Prime Minister is fuelling cynicism by breaking his promise of electoral reform and thumbing his nose at the thousands of people who believed in him in good faith. I witnessed this again last Friday when I spoke with university students in Rimouski. These bright young people are now disappointed and distrustful. They are wondering when they will be able to believe politicians again. They are even wondering whether they will ever vote again. What a mess. Growing up, I was taught that I needed to apologize if I ever broke a promise.

Will the Prime Minister apologize for misleading Canadians?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their government to act responsibly and do things right. That is exactly what we are focusing on. We are going to protect our democracy. We are going to strengthen cybersecurity for the parties, make fundraising more transparent, and work to ensure that it is easy to vote by cleaning up the mess the Conservative Party made of our electoral system.

We are going to improve our democracy, and we are going to do it the right way for Canada.

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I think the damage being done right now is by the Prime Minister to the faith that Canadians placed in him in the last election.

Canadians expected better from this Prime Minister, yet last week he said the decision to turn his back on a solemn promise to fix our electoral system was “my decision to make”. I hate to break it to him, but it was not. That decision was made by the Canadian voters and only by the Canadian voters. When someone breaks a promise, they must first admit it, apologize for breaking faith, and work 10 times harder to regain the trust that has been lost.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and at the very least apologize to Canadians for having broken his promise on electoral reform, yes or no?

Democratic ReformOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Canadians voted for a change from a government that had been unable to deliver on economic growth for the middle class, had been unable to deliver the kind of vision for this country that Canadians need.

We made commitments to grow the middle class, to work to restore faith in our democracy, and to continue to demonstrate that Canada deserves better. That is exactly what we are delivering every day, working very hard for Canadians.

FinanceOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, between 2009 and the last election, 1.3 million new jobs were created in Canada, most of which were full-time jobs. That is the previous government's record. We managed to balance the budget and create a surplus.

During the election campaign, the Liberals promised a small deficit of $10 billion, which was actually already huge. Now they are talking about triple that amount, that is, a deficit between $20 billion and $30 billion. It makes no sense. They talk about an infrastructure plan, but it will be on the backs of our grandchildren, who will have to pay down that debt in the future.

Which taxes do the Liberals plan to raise in order to balance the budget?

FinanceOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the previous government is responsible for the lowest growth rate in eight decades. We therefore needed a plan to help our economy reach a higher level of growth.

That is why we decided to invest in our future, that is, in infrastructure and the middle class, in order to help families right away. Thanks to our plan, we will have a higher growth rate in the future and there will be more opportunities for families and the next generation of Canadians.

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Conservative

Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, the previous government had to deal with the worst economic crisis since the Second World War. Despite having to deal with that, we had an operating surplus and balanced the budget.

About the carbon tax. Why are the Liberals not talking about its repercussions? They are hiding the numbers. It will have an impact on Canadian families. The numbers were redacted in the information our party received.

Why is that? What impact will this carbon tax have on an average family?

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Ottawa Centre Ontario

Liberal

Catherine McKenna LiberalMinister of Environment and Climate Change

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that the economy and the environment go hand in hand. Our government committed to a cleaner, more innovative economy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates good jobs.

I encourage the member to look at that instead of a document that was prepared in 2015 under the previous Conservative government. We will keep working for the middle class, we will keep reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and we will create good jobs for Canadians.

Government ServicesOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, yet again the Liberal government is going down the same failed fiscal road travelled so heavily by Kathleen Wynne and the Ontario Liberals. Ontario has over 400 user fees. Make no mistake, they are a tax on the middle class and those working hard to join it.

We know the Liberals have never met a tax or user fee they did not like. Since the federal Liberals are following the same disastrous playbook as Ontario with out-of-control spending and massive deficits, what user fees are these Liberals planning to raise on hard-working taxpayers?

Government ServicesOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board

Mr. Speaker, businesses, citizens, all Canadians benefit from government services. We need to, on an ongoing basis, review the transparency and strengthen the oversight over the user fees that pay for those services. We need to make sure that all people and all organizations which benefit from those services pay a fair share. That includes big businesses. It is important that middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join the middle class are not footing the bill disproportionately for those services. We will treat all Canadians fairly.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, I guess that means a lot.

Communities across the country rely on volunteer firefighters to staff their fire departments. In fact, 85% of all firefighters, roughly 144,000 Canadians, volunteer their time to protect the communities in which they live. That is why Conservatives created the volunteer firefighter tax credit. It helps attract volunteer firefighters and gives an incentive to Canadians who want to help in their communities.

The finance minister has promised that all tax credits are on the table. Would the minister promise that he will not cancel the volunteer firefighter tax credit?

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that we will continue on our path to help Canadians, to help middle-class Canadians, to help people with real measures that will make a difference.

Our look at our tax expenditures is really to make sure that our system is working properly, that it is efficient, to make sure that our tax system is fair, to make sure that measures that might have been put in place but are no longer working are reconsidered. That is an effort that is important so that Canadians can be sure the system works for them and their families.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely the problem. If the government maintains the status quo, then, according to the Department of Finance, we are heading toward a debt of $1.5 trillion by 2050. That is the bill, the gift, that the Liberals are giving to our children and grandchildren. The Liberals are hurting not just our grandchildren, but also our seniors with their serious talk of eliminating income splitting and the age credit amounts. Could the Minister of Finance assure Canadians and especially seniors that he will not touch these two very important benefits for our seniors?

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure Canadians that our program will help families who are truly dealing with some extraordinary challenges, by allocating more money. This year, we will continue to add more measures for the middle class, measures that will give more money to families in every sector of our economy. That is our goal. We will continue in that vein and that will be good for Canadian families.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, anyone who can count knows that giving people more money is just fine when it is available. However, if we go into debt or run deficits, our children and grandchildren will be footing the bill. That does not make sense. That is basic economics.

Students are also being targeted by the government. Can the government assure us that it will not touch the education savings plans of almost five million Canadians, who would be directly affected by this other bad Liberal decision?

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Toronto Centre Ontario

Liberal

Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. We introduced important measures in budget 2016 last year to improve the situation of Canadian families and the middle class. That continues to be our focus. The purpose of our review of expenditures is to provide a program that will help the middle class and families with measures that will be really good for the economy over time.

LobbyingOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

Mr. Speaker, Cyrus Reporter, a senior adviser to the Prime Minister, who used to be a lobbyist, has just taken a job as a lobbyist again. The Liberals tell us not to worry because he is not going to be lobbying his friends. Instead, he will just be coaching other lobbyists on how to lobby his Liberal friends.

This clearly goes against the spirit of the Lobbying Act, which is supposed to prevent this revolving door of Liberal lobbyists. How can the Liberals explain this blatant attempt to get around the law? Where is their integrity?

LobbyingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House and to remind members and Canadians that every exempt staff hired knows full well the responsibilities staff members must respect both during their hiring and following their hiring. The rules are quite clear, and I have no reason to doubt that they will be respected.

LobbyingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

NDP

Karine Trudel NDP Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner has launched an investigation into the Prime Minister's exclusive vacations. This is unprecedented. Actually, it is more like déjà vu, in that this is the second investigation of the Prime Minister that the commissioner has had to undertake.

Will the Prime Minister now admit that he broke two separate laws? Will he finally assume responsibility for his actions?

LobbyingOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism

Mr. Speaker, as has been said many times in the House and to Canadians, the Prime Minister will respond to any questions that the Commissioner has.