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.
Richard Cannings NDP South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC
Mr. Speaker, forestry is a major industry in my riding of South Okanagan—West Kootenay, and tens of thousands of jobs in British Columbia are dependent on that sector. The last time this sector was hit with American tariffs, the industry was devastated.
Did the Prime Minister stand up for Canadian forestry workers and communities when he met with President Trump? When will the government develop a plan B to be ready for new American tariffs?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, let me remind the House that the previous Conservative government allowed the old agreement to expire.
Our government is vigorously defending the interests of Canadian softwood workers and producers. In Washington last week with Secretary Tillerson I defended our producers, and yesterday in Washington the Prime Minister did that with energy and vigour, and I did too.
We will continue to work closely with our producers, our workers, and the provinces and territories. We are seeking a good deal for Canada, not just any deal.
Rob Nicholson Conservative Niagara Falls, ON
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the justice minister said her problem with mandatory sentences was the charter. I should not have to point out to her that the most serious mandatory sentence is for murder, and that has been upheld by the courts for the last 35 years. Taking away mandatory sentences is about giving breaks to murderers, rapists, child abusers, drunk drivers, and drug dealers.
When will the Liberals change their tune and start standing up for victims and their families?
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand up to once again say that we are conducting a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including sentencing reform, which includes mandatory minimum penalties. We are not opposed to mandatory minimum penalties for the most serious of offences, but we are doing a comprehensive review of those mandatory minimums in terms of their constitutionality. The courts have spoken quite clearly about it.
What we are committed to doing in this review is to ensure that we uphold public safety, have respect for victims, and ensure that we are approaching the justice system in a smart and effective way.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, the media is reporting that the Minister of Justice is looking into reducing or even getting rid of the majority of minimum sentences for criminals. I cannot wait to see what initiatives the minister might put in place to protect victims instead of conducting studies to abolish minimum sentences.
Could the minister explain the motivation behind these measures and what minimum sentences she wants to eliminate?
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the intention of this government, my intention, is to do a comprehensive review of the Criminal Code, a review that has not been done since the early 1980s. The previous government sought to do a piecemeal approach to amending the Criminal Code. We are undertaking our review to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system and ensuring that the legislation that we put forward is meeting its objectives. That is why we are studying the mandatory minimum penalties.
I look forward to having more to say about this in the near future.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, instead of blaming mandatory minimums for a delay, the minister should look in the mirror, because it is this minister who has failed to appoint judges in a timely manner, which has resulted in serious criminal cases being thrown out. Murder cases are being thrown out. Sexual assault cases are being thrown out. Yesterday charges against a father accused of breaking the ankles of his infant were thrown out. We have dozens of judicial vacancies.
How many more cases are going to be thrown out before the minister starts doing her job?
Jody Wilson-Raybould LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have appointed many judges to superior courts across this country, as well as reconstituting the judicial advisory committees to ensure that we appoint a diversity of judges to the superior courts. I will continue to make those appointments.
I would point out that in doing a broad review of the criminal justice system, I am working in a concerted way with my colleagues in the provinces and territories, who are responsible for the administration of justice. We are putting forward a comprehensive plan because there is no one solution to resolve the court delays. We are going to, most assuredly, address them.
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to trade, our government gets it done. Our friends south of the border, want do more trade with us—
Mark Eyking Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Take it easy, guys. We know what happened yesterday.
We are voting on two agreements today, the Ukrainian agreement and the European agreement. The fishing industry in our province of Nova Scotia is very excited about these agreements.
Could the Minister of International Trade tell this House how these agreements would benefit middle-class Canadians and what the next steps are toward implementing the CETA agreement?
François-Philippe Champagne LiberalMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chair of the trade committee, the great chair, and all the members of the trade committee for their hard work.
CETA is the most progressive trade agreement ever negotiated by Canada or the European Union. It will create jobs, bolster our prosperity, and grow the middle class.
The Prime Minister will address the European Parliament this week on the importance of the Canada-EU relationship.
Thanks to our trade talks, which focused on the interests of the middle class, Canadian businesses of all sizes and from every part of the country will enjoy unprecedented access to the European Union, a vast market made up of more than 500 million people.
Todd Doherty Conservative Cariboo—Prince George, BC
Mr. Speaker, 140 communities in British Columbia are dependent on forestry industry. This equates to roughly 65,000 jobs in just one single province.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister left the Minister of Natural Resources at home alone, and there is no evidence that the Prime Minister brought this agreement up once. It is not even mentioned in one minister's mandate letter.
It is clear yet again that softwood lumber and forestry workers are not a priority for these Liberals. Will the minister make softwood lumber a priority and make sure a deal is in place before a single forestry worker loses a job as a result of his and her inaction?
Jim Carr LiberalMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we know that the forestry industry is very important for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We know there are fine jobs that are dependent on a healthy industry.
We know that the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have worked very hard to get the best possible deal for Canada.
We also note that we are reaching out to our provincial counterparts to make sure that all measures are taken to ensure that the forestry sector in Canada remains vibrant and strong and a source of good jobs for Canadians.
Robert Aubin NDP Trois-Rivières, QC
Mr. Speaker, after five years of contamination, water quality aboard Canadian Coast Guard vessels is now making headlines.
Apparently there are several problems, possibly including the use of Interline paint with or without a solvent. Crew members are increasingly worried about their health because of toxic substances in the water and substances not detected by quality tests.
Can the minister tell us if he is aware of the problem and what he plans to do to protect the health of these crew members?
Terry Beech LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of our employees is top priority of the Canadian Coast Guard. These men and women work hard every day to ensure the safety of mariners in our marine environment.
There were two complaints about the quality of drinking water aboard Coast Guard vessels. The complaints process included the participation of employees, unions, subject matter specialists, and managers.
According to the final decision, the Coast Guard satisfied its obligations with respect to its employees and drinking water, and will continue to do so in every circumstance.
Eva Nassif Liberal Vimy, QC
Mr. Speaker, homelessness is a serious issue of national importance.
In June, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development announced additional funding for the homelessness partnering strategy, part of which will be invested in the “innovative solutions to homelessness” stream.
Can the minister explain how this increased funding will help communities better combat homelessness, which affects women, indigenous people, and vulnerable youth most of all?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to congratulate the member for Vimy on the excellent work she is doing on behalf of her constituents.
Our government is committed to supporting innovative projects aimed at meeting the needs of homeless people, including youth, indigenous people, women, and veterans. Budget 2016 allocated an additional $112 million to the homelessness partnering strategy, the first investment from the Canadian government since 1999.
Our national housing strategy will expand its efforts across the continuum of housing needs for our families.
Cheryl Gallant Conservative Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON
Mr. Speaker, Corporal Terra Janz is a veteran who is being denied a benefit for a disability, which her specialist and family doctor say was caused as a result of her military service.
As a condition of her disability, she must self-catheterize, which is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life. She is being denied this benefit on the basis that her disability is a medical event common to women.
When did the Prime Minister decide that being a woman in the military is cause enough to deny a benefit to a veteran?
Sherry Romanado LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members, and the RCMP, as well as their families, have the support they need, when and where they need it.
While we cannot comment on individual cases, our government takes the security and well-being of our veterans very seriously. That is why we committed $5.6 billion in financial supports for veterans in budget 2016. That is why we are reopening the nine offices closed by the previous government, hiring 400 front-line staff, 360 who have been hired to date.
Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, a picture of daddy and a handshaking contest, that about sums up the meeting between the Prime Minister and President Trump. Let us not forget the President's statement in which he said that NAFTA needs to be tweaked.
Will our forestry workers, our dairy producers, and our farmers be the ones on the hook for these tweaks, these minor adjustments? We know that Quebec's interests seem minor to Ottawa, but will they be minor in discussions on free trade with the United States?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
Yesterday was an important day. We put a lot of effort into it. As the President of the United States said, “We have a very outstanding trade relationship with Canada.” That statement is very important to Canada, our workers, and our businesses. We strongly and proudly defended the interests of our producers, including those of the forestry and dairy industries.
We will continue—
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, from Quebec's perspective, supply management, diafiltered milk, spent fowl, and the softwood lumber agreement do not need mere tweaks. The word “outstanding” is just as important as the word “tweaks”. This is major for thousands of Quebec workers, their families, and our regions.
Other than shedding crocodile tears if negotiations do not go its way, does the federal government have a plan to make sure that the interests of workers from all regions of Quebec are not dismissed when the American negotiators make their so-called tweaks?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.
Our government will continue to defend our farmers, our producers, and their families. We will continue to defend Canada's forestry industry, and that includes Quebec's forestry industry.
Yesterday in Washington, we were strong and proud as we championed our farmers, our producers, and our forestry industry. We will continue in that vein.
We will vigorously defend our national interest, and we will remain faithful to Canadian values.
