Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2017

Justice

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I agree that there is a necessity to ensure that we have confidence in our justice system. With respect to victims of sexual assault or victims of gender-based violence, they need to be treated with respect and dignity at all stages.

I recognize that the hon. member across the way has introduced a private member's bill, and I look forward to continuing to speak with her, as well as reviewing the private member's bill as it proceeds through the House.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when I was in university, I worked at a rape crisis centre and I participated in a program that looked at how victims were treated by the courts. I saw what survivors of sexual assault have to go through. Judges not having the appropriate training only makes the process more difficult for everyone involved.

Today, I introduced a bill to solve that problem. I hope that all members will support these non-partisan measures.

Will the Prime Minister join me in standing up for women and girls and supporting mandatory sexual assault training?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member across the way, and I think, without equivocation, all members of the House recognize and acknowledge that sexual assault and gender-based violence is wrong and we have to do everything we can to prevent it.

I also recognize that the member has introduced a private member's bill. I look forward to continuing my conversations with her. I look forward to reviewing the private member's bill in detail to see how we can continue with the objective of ensuring that victims of sexual assault are treated with respect and dignity.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, in New Brunswick, in June 2014, Justin Bourque murdered constables David Ross, Fabrice Gevaudan, and Doug Larche. It has been described as one of the worst crimes in Canadian history. Because of back-to-back sentences for multiple murders, Bourque received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 75 years.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and commit today that he will not touch consecutive sentencing?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We recognize that these were heinous crimes, that they need to be prevented, and public safety is paramount.

The Criminal Code currently has the strongest penalty for murder, which is life imprisonment, and judges have the opportunity or the ability to utilize their discretion to impose consecutive sentences with respect to individuals who have committed such heinous crimes.

I look forward to continuing to do the work around the criminal justice system as we move forward to make sure that we improve—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Foreign Investment

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister stood in the House defending his decision to approve the sale of a piece of Canada's health care system to China, but he could not say exactly who owns this company. In addition to the time they have spent reviewing the approval, they have now had 24 hours to figure out who owns this company. Therefore, do they have an answer yet? Who owns Anbang Insurance?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that investment is so critical for creating economic growth and jobs, particularly here in Canada. We look at all investments that come to Canada under the Investment Canada Act.

With regard to this specific case, we did our due diligence, we looked at the job levels, and we made sure that we received good quality data around the jobs that would be secured, and also any additional resources for expansion of the facility to create new jobs.

The bottom line is, this is good for British Columbia. This is good for Canadians. This is good for jobs, and this is good for the economy.

Taxation

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting the Prime Minister will not tell Canadians how much his carbon tax will cost, especially considering it is his signature economic and environmental policy. Why hide it? He will not reveal the cost to families, seniors, and workers. In fact, this is now becoming widely known as the carbon tax cover-up.

My question is simple. Will he come clean and let Canadians know just how much the carbon tax will cost them?

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

Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we understand that there is a real cost to not acting on climate change.

We know that it costs—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, order. I know members are excited to hear the answer, but we need to hear it. Settle down. Stay calm. We are going to be away from here soon for a few days, working hard in our constituencies. The hon. Minister of Environment and Climate Change has the floor.

[Catherine McKenna, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the cost to Canadians through insurance claims from climate change incidents, like floods, like forest fires, is more than $1 billion. That number is going to continue to rise.

That is why we are taking serious action. We are putting a price on pollution, we are going to grow our economy, and we are going to invest in good jobs, because it is the right thing to do and it makes business sense.

Ethics

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the law says people cannot give a bunch of money to a political party on Monday and then ask for special treatment on Tuesday. That is why we have a five-year ban between fundraising and lobbying.

However, the chairman of a pharmaceutical giant named Apotex held a $1,500-a-person fundraiser featuring the Prime Minister himself, and is now lobbying the Liberal government.

Just so we are all clear, this is totally illegal. Do the Liberals actually think it is appropriate to have lobbying meetings with a pharmaceutical giant that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Liberal Party, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the previous fundraising activity, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has said that no rules were broken.

That being said, we recognize that we can do more. That is why the Minister of Democratic Institutions will be introducing legislation to make political fundraising even more open and more transparent.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this government is once again the subject of an ethics investigation.

The Commissioner of Lobbying is going to be looking into the fundraiser that allegedly gave privileged access to the chairman of Apotex. We keep hearing that the Liberals obey the law. The Commissioner of Lobbying, however, believes something is amiss.

Does the Prime Minister really still believe that his government is a model of ethical behaviour?

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

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The Commissioner of Lobbying looks at activities of lobbyists. With respect to the recent fundraising activities, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has said that no rules were broken.

That being said, we recognize that we can do more. That is why the Minister of Democratic Institutions will be introducing legislation to make political fundraising even more open and transparent.

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government keeps telling us that it is following the rules, but we all know the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Commissioner of Lobbying are constantly investigating its actions. This government promised to be the most ethical government ever, but it turns out to be not all that far removed from the party that gave us the sponsorship scandal.

How can the Prime Minister make claims about real change when he is once again being investigated for an ethical issue?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that the Commissioner of Lobbying monitors lobbyists' activities. Our government will continue to work very hard to address the real challenges Canadians are facing.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are seeing a very disturbing pattern here with the Liberals.

A giant pharmaceutical company or a billionaire with his own island, the Prime Minister is at their beck and call, even if it means breaking the law. However, for regular Canadians struggling to pay the bills, struggling to pay for those overpriced medicines, the Liberals are just not that into them.

If the Liberals will crawl across broken glass to answer the phone of the wealthy and well connected, when are they going to work half as hard for average Canadians who are just trying to follow the law and pay the bills?

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

Mr. Speaker, in regard to the comments that the member is making, and I am sure he also knows better, the Commissioner of Lobbying looks at activities of lobbyists.

When it comes to everyday Canadians, it was this government that committed to working very hard for middle-class Canadians. That is why we reduced taxes on middle-class Canadians. That is why we introduced the Canada child benefit. We will continue to work hard for Canadians, because that is what they elected us to do.

Foreign Investment

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I had a number of phone calls last night from seniors who were concerned about the Chinese takeover of facilities in B.C., including in my riding of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. These seniors are concerned about the mysterious Chinese-owned organization with whom Morgan Stanley in the U.S. has refused to do business but the Liberals have welcomed with open arms. They want the Prime Minister to tell them who the owner is of this secretive company and who he agreed to sell their homes to.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, we believe in investments. We think it is absolutely critical that we have investments in Canada to grow the economy and create jobs. With respect to this particular case, under the Investment Canada Act, Cedar Tree will now be owned and operated by Canadians going forward. More importantly, it will have additional financial resources to expand its facility, which means it will be able to create more jobs. That is good for British Columbia, good for seniors, and good for all Canadians.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I know many of the people who live in these facilities, and they deserve to know who owns their home. Our seniors are concerned about the quality of care, of food, and the credentials of the people caring for them. This transaction is clearly not about charity; it is about profit. Why would the Prime Minister put the care of our parents and grandparents at the mercy of profiteers pulling strings from Beijing?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, it is our government that has shown leadership when it comes to supporting our seniors. We have reduced the old-age security age limit from 67 to 65. We have increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10%. With respect to this particular transaction, the additional financial resources will allow Cedar Tree the ability to expand, provide better service, and create more jobs. This is good for seniors, good for the economy, and good for all Canadians.