House of Commons Hansard #145 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was pre-clearance.
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the responsibility of any government is to protect citizens, get justice for victims, and respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
That is exactly what I asked our Minister of Justice to do by reviewing and examining our Criminal Code, and that is exactly what we are going to do while making sure, of course, that our justice system is independent.
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, Kathy and Alvin Liknes and their five-year-old grandson Nathan were brutally murdered by Douglas Garland. However, because of consecutive sentences, he will spend the rest of his life in jail with no chance of parole.
While nothing can fix what happened to that family, at least they can take some comfort in knowing that they will not be re-victimized. Does the Prime Minister agree with the sentence Douglas Garland received? Yes or no?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, our government supports the work of our judges and judiciary. As a government we know that we need to make sure that we are protecting the safety of our citizens, getting justice for victims, and indeed respecting our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
That is exactly what our Minister of Justice is committed to doing as we look over the Criminal Code, and make improvements to make sure we are protecting victims, protecting Canadians, and respecting our charter.
Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying more and getting less. The Liberals are hiking taxes and adding debt. For what? Canadians were promised a stronger economy and better jobs, but a lot of the new jobs created are not better jobs.
Only one in five jobs created have been full-time. Last year, the economy grew slower than it did under the previous government. All this spending and taxes is hurting the middle class, and those who are looking to join it.
How is the Prime Minister going to fix this?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, this government has remained focused on the middle class, and those working hard to join it. We lowered taxes on the middle class by raising them on the wealthiest 1%.
We brought in a Canada child benefit that gives more money to 9 out of 10 Canadian families, which will help them with the costs of groceries, school supplies, and raising their kids, and by not helping millionaire families with child benefits like the previous government did.
On top of that, we will be reducing child poverty by 40% with the CCB. This is the kind of focus we have on creating jobs and opportunity, help for the middle class, and those working hard to join it.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Immigration was asked about the American treatment of refugees and he said, “nothing has changed”. Nothing has changed. Really?
There is a massive immigration crackdown inside the U.S. Hundreds of refugees are risking life and limb to cross the border. Today Amnesty International has said Trump's “fear and scapegoating” has increased risk to human rights. All this and another executive order on immigration is on its way.
Does the Prime Minister agree with the minister that nothing has changed and that the U.S. is still a safe country for refugees?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect their government to do two things in regard to the United States and the world. We will stand up for Canadian values and defend the principles that have made this country strong, free, and great. At the same time, we will work to ensure the protection of Canadian jobs, opportunities for growth, and the success of our small and large businesses.
This is the balance that Canadians expect of this government. That is what we will continue to do throughout our relationship with the United States and the world.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, it is hard to listen to talking points on the economy when what we are talking about is more and more asylum seekers risking their lives to cross the border and come to Canada.
The government needs to act quickly and address the lack of resources by taking concrete immediate action. With spring right around the corner, the situation is likely to change quickly. We need more border officers, but we also need to suspend the safe third country agreement.
The Prime Minister has said that everyone is welcome here in Canada. When will this government get its head out of the sand and take action?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I am a little surprised to see the NDP, which has a history of defending workers' rights, tossing principles meant to protect jobs and create a brighter future for Canadian families right out the window.
We know that we need to remain welcoming and open to the world, but we also need to protect Canadians' jobs and the prosperity of everyone who enters and lives in this country. That is exactly what the Liberal Party of Canada will do.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, we do stand up for workers, but we also stand up for human rights. That is what this is about.
One Canadian had his private life scrutinized in the presence of American customs officers before being interrogated, detained for several hours, and turned away at the border. That arbitrary and discriminatory decision was made after the officers took his smart phone and discovered his sexual orientation.
More and more Canadians are being unfairly turned back at the border, and Bill C-23 will pave the way for even more abusive practices.
How is the government going to stand up for human rights and Canadians' rights?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, anyone who wants to cross the border to the United States has to go through customs. Having pre-clearance in Canada not only streamlines the movement of goods and services and makes it easier to get to all U.S. airports as a domestic rather than an international traveller, but also ensures that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is applied on Canadian soil, even within American pre-clearance zones. That is an added layer of protection that Canadians would not have going through customs in the United States.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister guaranteed that no Canadians would be mistreated while trying to cross the U.S. border, but what we have seen in case after case is very troubling. Muslim Canadians have been targeted. We have seen evidence on racial profiling and repeated cases of the privacy of Canadians being invaded.
What will the government do to secure clear assurances for Canadians who wish to cross the border? When will the Prime Minister stand up for Canadians? After all it is Pink Shirt Day. Will he stand up to the bully?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand how important it is to defend our sovereignty and we certainly defend our capacity to make determinations about who gets to come to Canada and how. That is something we have demonstrated amply over decades of our history. Similarly, we respect the responsibility of other countries to make determinations about who comes into their borders.
What we do on pre-clearance in Canada ensures that it is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects Canadians and others on Canadian soil even though they are going through American customs systems. It is a good system that allows for smoother movement of goods and services, easier access to the United States, and protection.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please. I encourage the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley to not interrupt and listen to the answers.
The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.
Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, people are nervous about the upcoming budget and rightly so. This government has some interesting plans. The Prime Minister just referred to the 1% tax increase for the wealthiest Canadians. He failed to mention that he miscalculated and is off by $2 billion, so he has to run $20-billion deficits. Seniors are worried about pension income splitting.
Is the government going to go after seniors, or will it allow them to split their pension income? This is very important to people who have to make ends meet solely on this income.
Bill Morneau LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, we did some very important things for Canada's seniors in our first budget. We increased the guaranteed income supplement for the most vulnerable. We brought the retirement age back to 65. We will continue to ensure that our economy is healthy and that our most vulnerable are in good shape. That is a very important priority for our country.
Denis Lebel Conservative Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
That was not an answer, Mr. Speaker. There is another matter that is of great concern to us. Not only are forestry workers across the country having to deal with the uncertainty around the softwood lumber agreement with the U.S., but now, they can add the woodland caribou to their list of concerns. In 2015, our former government announced the introduction of a measure to increase our knowledge on the issue, which we had been hearing about for some time. This government often says it bases its decisions on scientific evidence, and yet, we do not know enough about the caribou.
Will this government give itself the tools it needs to gain a better understanding of the situation of the woodland caribou in Canada and not cut jobs? I hope they will do their homework before making cuts.
Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, our government has made a commitment to Canadians to protect and support biodiversity in this country and to protect the recovery of species at risk, including caribou. Our government is very focused on ensuring that Canada continues to have a robust natural resources sector that creates jobs for middle-class Canadians.
We are working with the provinces, territories, indigenous people, and stakeholders to support their efforts in protecting caribou. This why, today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change is meeting with her provincial and territorial counterparts to develop a plan for the protection of caribou, which takes into account those economic circumstances.
Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Mr. Speaker, for months the human resources committee has been asking witnesses how to offset the burden of a carbon tax. We heard it loud and clear, “Don't charge it in the first place”. It is too bad the Wynne Liberals in Ontario did not get this advice before ramming a similar tax on small businesses, families, and commuters.
When will the Prime Minister look at how Ontario has been devastated and stop forcing this bad idea on Canadians?
Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Mr. Speaker, putting a price on pollution is one component of our plan to address climate change and create jobs. I should note that 80% of Canadians already live in a jurisdiction that has a price on carbon. This is due to the leadership shown by the provinces, given the complete lack of action on the climate file over the previous 10 years under the previous government.
Pricing pollution has been endorsed by economists, leading Canadian businesses, and by leading Conservatives, including Preston Manning, Patrick Brown, Mark Cameron, and a number of MPs on that side of the House.
The federal-provincial agreement on the pan-Canadian framework contains a number of measures, including pricing of pollution, that will effectively address climate change and create good middle-class jobs.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order, please. I know the member for Calgary Signal Hill is going to want to hear the answer as well as the question.
The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, “heat or eat” was the issue raised at a recent meeting of the Barrie chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. The sad reality is that especially Ontario seniors are facing this choice, because of the failed green energy policy of Kathleen Wynne and the Ontario Liberals. Now, with Wynne's friends running the Prime Minister's Office, Ontario seniors will have to pay a federal Liberal carbon tax on things like home heating and electricity, driving the cost of everything even higher.
Why do Liberals force seniors to make a choice between heating their homes and eating?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to take this opportunity to remind all members of the House of the very important agenda we have around supporting seniors. We have moved the age of eligibility for old age security to 65, which will prevent 100,000 vulnerable seniors from falling into severe poverty. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by up to $1,000, which will benefit almost one million seniors, taking 30,000 of them out of poverty. This is a clear signal of our long-standing agenda—