Debates of Feb. 16th, 2017

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, about all I can do is tell my hon. colleague what this government has done and what this government will continue to do. We are the party that put supply management in place. We are the party that will protect and take care of supply management. We are the party that put a transition fund in place to make sure that the supply management sector in the dairy industry is modernized. We put money in place to make sure that the processing sector is modernized.

This government and this party will take care of supply management.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, every day there are more stories about refugees trying to cross the border into Canada from the U.S. These individuals are desperate, fleeing a country that is no longer safe for refugees. They know that the world has changed since the election of Donald Trump, and they are willing to risk their lives for a more secure future here in Canada. In these circumstances, why does the Liberal government insist that it is business as usual?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we have proven to be a compassionate government when it comes to welcoming those fleeing war and persecution. We have a system in place that is one of the most compassionate refugee systems in the world. The U.S. executive order has had no impact on domestic asylum policy. Each and every eligible asylum claimant has access to a fair hearing, and each case is assessed on its merits.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, except that there is a safe third country rule that says that, if they are coming from the United States, they are coming from a safe country and they cannot be treated as pure refugees as they normally would. That is the problem. Why does the government not see it?

With President Trump's order, the number of people seeking refuge here in Canada continues to grow, particularly because of the smuggling ring at the border, in Montérégie.

What practical measures will this government take to help these people and to support the communities that are taking them in?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we expect travellers to be treated respectfully and according to the law, on both sides of the border. Officers from the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are in regular contact on this issue, and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness will personally discuss the issue with his American counterpart, Secretary Kelly, in the next few days.

Political Party Financing

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP has written a letter to Elections Canada asking for an investigation into the Liberal Party accepting donations that would violate elections law. Once again, there are ethical questions swirling around the governing party that promised to be the most ethical government Canada has ever seen. My question for the Liberal government is simply this. Under the law, what is the maximum donation they can legally accept?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of Democratic Institutions]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has strict rules when it comes to fundraising and political fundraising. In fact, it is because of these rules that parties report all contributions they receive to Elections Canada. All parties in the House have received over-contributions this year, as was the case in previous years and, as such, all parties in the House have repaid their over-contributions. I look forward to bringing forward legislation to continuously improve, to make our fundraising more open and more transparent.

Ethics

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is that the Liberals have not and they have broken the law.

It is a matter of ethics. Canadians rejected a Liberal government and its sponsorship scandal, and then they rejected a Conservative government and its Senate scandal.

Do the Liberals really believe that, if they continue to deny the evidence of their turpitude, in the end, Canadians will believe them? That is highly unlikely.

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, as has been said in the House many, many times, the Prime Minister will answer any questions that the commissioner has. The Prime Minister has taken unprecedented levels of consultations and engagement with Canadians. This government is both approachable and reachable. That is why we will continue to respond to the very real challenges that Canadians are facing.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say their carbon taxes are revenue neutral. Look at B.C., they say. Today, the Fraser Institute released proof that, over the next five years, B.C.'s carbon tax will collect $865 million more from British Columbian taxpayers than they will get back in tax relief. That is $728 per family of four. The federal Department of Finance has data tables showing exactly how much people will have to pay by income indicating the impact on the poor and middle class.

Will the government release those data tables now?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I will once again explain why pricing pollution makes sense, because it is pricing what we do not want, which is pollution, and it is fostering what we do want, which is innovation and cleaner technology—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please.

I realize everyone wants to take part in question period, but not everybody can. Everybody has to wait their turn until they have a chance to do so. I ask members to try to be patient, whether that turn comes today or another time, but to wait their turn and not interrupt and not speak when they do not have the floor.

The hon. Minister of the Environment.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that putting a price on pollution will actually drive innovation and grow our economy, and as the former governor of the Bank of Canada said, now governor of the Bank of England, there is a $30 trillion opportunity, and we're going to take advantage of that in clean technologies.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they are not talking about putting a price on poverty. They are talking about putting a price on the poorest Canadians. They are the ones who will disproportionately pay the most because they spend a disproportionate amount of their income on the things that will be taxed, all to fund things like $150,000 Teslas here in Ontario, which I guess the government believes are affordable and in reach to the middle class and those wishing to join it.

When will the government put an end to the process of taxing those with the least to give to those with the most?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to stand and explain why it is important that we take serious action on climate change, not only because it is the right thing to do for the future of our children but also because it is going to make us more competitive, not less. We have created a scheme where we put a price on pollution. It is revenue neutral. It goes back to the provinces, and it is up to them to determine the best way to move forward.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I encourage the member from Banff—Airdrie, and others, to listen quietly during question period and wait their turn, as I was saying.

The hon. member for Parry Sound—Muskoka has the floor.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, here is the reality. Times are so tough for small businesses that Dave Purdon, a Gravenhurst butcher in my riding, was recently forced to sell off frozen meat at cut-rate prices just so he could pay his hydro bill. The Wynne Liberals are literally turning the lights out on small businesses, while their Liberal friends here in Ottawa are upping payroll taxes and dumping a carbon tax to boot.

It is clear the Liberals have no regard for our small businesses. When will they wake up and stop hurting our greatest job creators?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know that having a competitive and effective business community is critically important. We know that the most important thing for businesses, large and small, is an economy that is successful. What we have done is help middle-class Canadians so they can buy things that they need and want. What we have done is help those most vulnerable so they can buy things for their families.

Importantly, we are making investments in our economy so we can actually grow the economy in the future, which will help small, medium, and large businesses to be better and to help our economy.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Chatham—Kent—Leamington, greenhouse growers met Sunday to discuss their survival under the new Ontario cap and trade program. One owner said his electrical bill rose from $19,000 in December to over $40,000 in January. This new tax is forcing small family businesses to either shut down or leave town. Greenhouse growers are now talking about moving their operations to the United States.

How can the Prime Minister justify imposing a carbon tax, and follow down the same disastrous path of his mentor, Kathleen Wynne?

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to explain how carbon pricing works. We are putting a price on what we do not want, which is pollution, and putting a price on what we do want, which is good jobs in the economy of the future. We are going to take advantage of these opportunities. We are going to create a cleaner future, because that is the smart thing to do, and it is also the right thing to do.

Infrastructure

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, close to a billion dollars in infrastructure funds will lapse this year. The Liberal election platform stated, “We will make sure that no money intended for investment in communities is allowed to lapse”.

The Liberals promised that any lapsed money would go directly to communities through the gas tax fund. However, only 4% of the $800 million is going into that fund. Will the Liberals commit to flow the entire $800 million in lapsed funding to communities, or is it just another broken Liberal promise?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we are delivering more infrastructure for Canadian communities to grow the economy and create jobs for the middle class. Since taking office, our government has approved more than 1,200 projects, with a combined investment of more than $14 billion.

The member opposite knows very well that money committed to specific projects continues to be available for those projects. They may not happen this year; they happen in the next year. We are delivering on commitments, and we will continue to do so.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, new information is confirming what the parliamentary budget officer said and what everyone here in the House has been saying over and over again for months now.

The minister is late in distributing infrastructure funding, and this poses a huge risk to our country's economic growth. The Liberals promised that any lapsed money would go directly to municipalities all across Canada through the gas tax fund.

Can the minister assure us here today that he intends to keep the Liberal promise to redirect the $800 million to the gas tax fund, or is he going to break yet another Liberal promise?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, the member very well knows that once we approve the project, then money is attached to that particular project, and all the project components are reimbursed when we receive the invoices for them.

We do transfer money through the gas tax. That is surplus money. We have done that. This year, $30 million was transferred through the gas tax to the municipalities.

Let me tell the hon. member that we are actively supporting the projects for all municipalities that are currently funded through infrastructure dollars.