Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2017

Health

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I would like to remind the hon. member to direct her comments to the chair.

The hon. Minister of Health.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot comment on specific cases. It is a very emotional subject.

By passing legislation on medical assistance in dying, our government sought to protect the most vulnerable Canadians while giving them safe and consistent access to medical assistance in dying across the country. We launched independent reviews of three complex issues that are outside the purview of the act. We believe that the reports from experts will provide Canadians with useful information.

The Environment

[Leona Alleslev, Liberal, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians understand that the economy and the environment go hand in hand and that everyone must be involved in a realistic plan to reduce greenhouse gases. In November, the President of the Treasury Board announced that the government will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and that a centre for greening government will be set up to coordinate those efforts.

Can the President of the Treasury Board give us an update on this issue?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to doing its part to create a cleaner and more innovative economy in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and create good, sustainable jobs for the middle class.

That is why I was proud today to participate in the launch of the new Centre for Greening Government. We launched a series of round table discussions focused on making sure the Government of Canada was part of the climate change solution.

I want to thank the member for Vancouver Quadra, my parliamentary secretary, for her leadership on this file.

Ethics

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, here we go again. Another day, another investigation launched as a result of the Prime Minister's questionable cash for access events.

First, the Ethics Commissioner and now the Commissioner of Lobbying are asking the Prime Minister about his unethical conduct. We already know the Prime Minister has zero regard for the rules and ethics laws, and we learned yesterday that the lobbying commissioner is investigating the Prime Minister's shady cash for access events with this wealthy lobbyist friends.

Has the Prime Minister been questioned by the Commissioner of Lobbying regarding his cash for access fundraising activity?

[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 lobbying commissioner looks at the activity of lobbyists. That is what the lobbying commissioner does. Just so everyone in the House is able to hear, the lobbying commissioner looks at the activities of lobbyists.

This side of the House is working hard for Canadians, working hard for middle-class Canadians and those wanting to join it, so we can make the investments to help create the growth Canadians need us to create.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the lobbying commissioner is clearly looking at lobbyists who are lobbying the Prime Minister, which only makes sense as the Prime Minister and the House leader think this all is a big joke. The Prime Minister thinks he is untouchable. It is the Prime Minister's conduct and lack of ethics that has him under several investigations by multiple commissioners. It is hard, actually, for Canadians to keep track of them all.

The lobbying commissioner is now investigating the Prime Minister's cash for access events. We know he does not answer his own questions in the House. Therefore, will the Prime Minister answer the lobbying commissioner's questions or will he send the government House leader to answer questions for him?

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

Mr. Speaker, all of us have been elected to this place to do the good work Canadians expect us to do. The difference between the Conservatives and this government is that this government is taking unprecedented levels of consultation with Canadians so we can respond to the very real challenges they are facing. This government will continue to work hard for Canadians. This government will continue to respond to the very real challenges they are facing, because that is what we were elected to do.

With regard to the lobbying commissioner, it is important to inform the member that the lobbying commissioner looks at the interests of lobbyists.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with so many investigations going on, Canadians heads are literally spinning from the Liberal sunny ways.

Here is a tally: ministers using the power of their office to fundraise for the Liberal Party; secret getaways on private helicopters; inside deals for Chinese billionaires after big donations to the Trudeau Foundation; and now, illegal fundraising with lobbyists. The Liberal ethical lapses go on and on.

Why do Liberals and the Prime Minister act like the Liberals who have sat in those seats before them?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to repeat the answer the member has received. It is interesting that members opposite choose to keep repeating the same questions, but never understand why they get the same answers.

When it comes to the lobbyist commissioner, the lobbyist commissioner looks at the activity of lobbyists. When it comes to previous fundraising activities, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has said that no rules were broken.

Members opposite might choose to focus on work that others need to do, but we will focus on work that Canadians want us to do. That is why we are responding to the very real challenges they are facing.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been in office for 18 months and is already under investigation by a number of commissioners, including the Ethics Commissioner. That is unheard of for a Canadian prime minister.

Even though the Gomery Commission brought to light the Liberals' questionable ethics, they clearly did not learn anything from their 10-year exile.

How many times will the Prime Minister have to be investigated before he finally puts an end to his questionable practices and flexible ethics?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am being asked the same question so I will give the same answer.

Let us be clear. The Commissioner of Lobbying looks at activities of lobbyists. With respect to the recent fundraising activities, the commissioner has said that no rules were broken.

We are going to continue to work for Canadians in order to respond to the very real challenges they are facing. That is what we were elected to do, and we are going to continue to work hard for them.

Public Services and Procurement

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on the one year anniversary of Phoenix, thousands of public servants still have not been paid what they have earned. Now, in the midst of tax season, an estimated 50,000 erroneous tax slips were sent out and the CRA has said that even if T4s are inaccurate, public servants must still file their taxes on time. That is shameful.

Since the Liberals have failed to fix this fiasco, will they do what is right by issuing a delay to this year's tax deadline?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, we are working very hard to resolve the pay issues associated with Phoenix. We have put in additional measures to ensure employees get paid for the work they have performed.

In terms of the T4 slips, 300,000 T4 slips have already been issued. If any of them are erroneous, we will work very hard with Revenue Canada and Revenue Québec to ensure they get corrected, revised T4 slips.

Infrastructure

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, rumour has it that the mysterious infrastructure investment bank would be set up as a crown corporation. On the surface, that seems fine, but if we dig deeper, we see that there will be major consequences.

What it means is that this bank, which will handle billions of dollars in private and public investment, will not report to the parliamentary budget officer. It will be shielded from the watchful eye of our primary budget watchdog.

Is the Liberal government setting up a sweet little secret garden where it can make covert deals with its friends?

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

Mr. Speaker, during the campaign, we promised that we would mobilize private capital to build more infrastructure for Canadian communities. Municipalities and provinces have identified a huge infrastructure deficit. We have doubled our investments from $60 billion, more than doubling, to $180 billion. We will mobilize private capital through the bank to build more infrastructure.

National Defence

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, more and more experts are criticizing the Liberals' ridiculous decision to buy 18 outdated Super Hornets.

Thirteen generals, all former Royal Canadian Air Force commanders, have condemned this “ill-advised, costly, and unnecessary” decision. They say the Liberals will be burdening the Royal Canadian Air Force for decades to come to the point where it will be doing less with more. That makes no sense. The generals even suggested a solution that would increase the number of jets for a fraction of the price.

Why are the Liberals so bent on buying Super Hornets at $300 million apiece?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making sure that our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, especially our air force, have the right aircraft. We as a government have committed to replacing the fighters, hence the reason we are actually committed to an open competition to replace the entire fleet. We are investing into the legacy fleet as well. Plus, we are buying new Super Hornets. The discussions are ongoing on that to make sure that we can fill this capability gap. I do not know why the member opposite has a concern with investing in defence.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the current commander of the air force says there is no capability gap, and now 13 former commanders of the air force are demanding the Prime Minister put an end to his ill-advised, costly, and unnecessary sole-source purchase of 18 Super Hornets. The generals say that the Prime Minister's partisan decision will damage the nation's defence posture. They have even offered alternative strategies based upon their air force experience that would be more beneficial to Canadian industry, Canadian taxpayers, and our national security. The experts have spoken. Why are the Liberals not listening?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I thank those former generals for their service. The chief of the defence staff, General Vance, has exceptional experience and I have an air force commander with exceptional experience as well. I read that letter. No, we will not be buying used aircraft for our air force. We will be buying new equipment for our air force, making sure that we replace all the fighters, and making sure that we actually fill the interim capability gap and invest in the legacy fleet. We will be investing in defence. That is what our government committed to do.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to spending sprees, the sky is the limit for the Liberals except when it comes to honouring the memory of Canadians who served their country in the Canadian Forces.

We have learned that more than 70 military museums across the country will receive no more funding. How very generous of the Liberals to cut them off as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation. As a former serviceman, I find this lack of respect deeply troubling.

Why did the minister, who is also a veteran, agree to this drastic cut?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for raising this concern with me. I will take a look at it and get back to him. However, as both my critics know, my office and I are always open to any questions. I will look into this and get back to the member.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[MaryAnn Mihychuk, Liberal, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, trading is crucial to our Canadian agricultural sectors. We are the fifth largest agricultural exporter in the world, and our agricultural and agrifood industries employ 2.2 million Canadians. In Manitoba, most of those producers are SMEs.

Could theMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell us what steps he is taking to promote our agrifood SMEs and expand Canada's agricultural trade around the world?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be leading an upcoming trade mission to Vietnam and India as part of our government's effort to strengthen and expand trade in the Asia-Pacific region. I look forward to promoting world-class Canadian products, including Canadian pulses, in India. Our government has already produced great results for Canadian farmers, and we will continue to expand our agricultural exports, create jobs and growth for Canadian farmers, and help more people join the middle class.

Finance

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians would be shocked to learn that we currently pay more in interest on Canada's debt than we do on national defence. Canadians have every right to be worried. The finance department tabled a report just before Christmas that says that without major changes, Canada may not balance its budget until 2050 or 2051, but the Liberals will not allow parliamentarians to study this report. Why the cover-up? Is it because the minister questions the work of his own department, or does he not want Canadians to know the truth about their reckless spending path?