House of Commons Hansard #133 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ceta.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I would like to remind the hon. member that “you” is to be used only when addressing the Speaker of the House, which was not the case because he was directing his remarks to the other side of the House. I want to make that clear so everyone follows the rules.
The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, once again, I am so pleased to have this opportunity to talk about the excellent program we introduced, the Canada child benefit. This program will help hundreds of thousands of children and families escape poverty. If a single mom with a child under six earns $30,000 per year, she will get $6,400 more. We will proceed with measures like that to help our middle class.
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have 39% of the votes, 55% of the seats, and 100% of the power.
The Liberals are in a conflict of interest on the electoral reform file. Since the election, they have been telling us that they do not have a preferred voting system to replace the current one. The Prime Minister admitted in the House that he was leaning toward the so-called preferential ballot. That is a preferential system for the Liberals. When they realized that there was no consensus for the system that favoured them, then they simply decided to break their promise.
Do the Liberals take Canadians for fools?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, our government listened to Canadians. It will continue to work on strengthening our democracy. Even though we did not reach a consensus on one specific electoral system to replace the current one, Canadians made it clear that we could do more to improve our democratic institutions. Canadians are proud of our democracy. We will continue to work to ensure that our democracy is consistent with Canadians' values.
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, the report of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform was very clear. It reached consensus on a proportional voting system.
In their testimony, several experts noted that a proportional voting system would result in more stable parliaments and would elect more women. For a Prime Minister who calls himself a feminist, it is odd that he would not want a system that would help elect more women to the House of Commons.
Is the government's priority to help elect more women from the Liberal Party only?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, I am very honoured to be the youngest woman appointed to cabinet. I am very proud to be a woman here in the House of Commons, and I am very proud to work with a feminist Prime Minister who has a cabinet made up of an equal number of men and women.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, imagine being satisfied then that Canada ranks 64th in the world when it comes to electing women. One would think Liberals would be a little bit worried. They are obsessed with their so-called mandate letters, pretending a note from the Prime Minister is more important than the real mandate, which can only come from the electorate and the people of this country. We compared the old mandate letter with the new one and there was this very interesting small, but critical difference. Version one insists that we will deliver on all of our commitments, but in version two the word “all” is gone.
Would the Liberals like to tell Canadians what other promises they are planning on breaking like they did on electoral reform?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, as I would like to repeat in English, I am incredibly proud to be the youngest woman named to cabinet in Canada. I am incredibly proud to be a woman in the House of Commons and I am incredibly proud to work with the Prime Minister, who is a feminist and who has a gender-equal cabinet. We listened to Canadians. We heard that they are proud of their democracy and now it is my job to make sure we continue to strengthen and work for our democracy.
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, in their desperate attempt to justify their betrayal on electoral reform, Liberals are reaching for any excuse however ridiculous or absurd. Liberals say that proportional representation will herald the rise of the alt-right forces in Canada. Well, Donald Trump was elected on first past the post with no problem, and yet, a fair voting system is the actual antidote to such campaigns like his or maybe Kevin O'Leary's. Proportional representation elects more women, more diverse parliaments, and forces parties to work together to help bring a country like Canada together.
Will the Liberals finally admit they broke their promise to fix the voting system, not because it was a threat to Canadian unity, but because it was a threat to the Liberal Party?
Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions
Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud to be part of this caucus that has a good percentage of women, that is incredibly diverse, that represents Canadians, and, most importantly, that listens to Canadians and how they feel about our democracy, which is proud.
Our government will continue to act to strengthen our democracy. That is why my new mandate letter includes protecting the integrity of our democracy by making our system less vulnerable to hacking, and improving transparency by making parties' political fundraising more open than ever before.
I will always work to protect, strengthen, and improve our democracy.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, this morning we are hearing reports that some Canadian dual nationals have had their NEXUS cards suddenly revoked following the American executive order, yet all this week the minister has told Canadians that the government received assurances that Canadians would not be affected by the United States' executive order.
This is very concerning for a lot of people who are travelling across the border and use this particular tool to have free access to our country. I have a simple question. Has the minister asked for, and received, written assurance that any and all NEXUS cards will remain valid in light of the executive order?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, there are provisions under the agreements between Canada and the United States for the issuing of NEXUS cards and for the termination of NEXUS cards in appropriate circumstances.
If people feel that they have in fact been unfairly treated by the process on either side of the border, there is an appeal process and there is an ombudsman. Obviously at a governmental level, we will be working with our American counterparts to make sure that the rules are properly and fairly administered, and that Canadians have the access that they are entitled to with a Canadian passport.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, with respect, I do not think that gives a lot of clarity to Canadians who are dual nationals who may be affected by this and who are wondering if their NEXUS card is still valid.
I am just going to give the minister another chance to answer the question. What assurances has the government sought from the American government that NEXUS cards will remain valid in light of the executive order? Has this been received in writing?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, it was very clear right at the very beginning that a Canadian citizen, whatever their other national connections might be, with a Canadian passport has the same access to the United States that they have always had.
With respect to the NEXUS card, that is a special trusted traveller provision over and above the passport. We want to make sure that Canadians entitled to a NEXUS card, which is discretionary on both sides of the border, are in fact treated properly and fairly.
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week another Ontario community lost over 600 manufacturing jobs because of bad Liberal policy.
It is not a coincidence that GM moved to Mexico 28 days after a Liberal carbon tax. After a decade of Liberal mismanagement, manufacturing is in steep decline in Ontario.
When will the Prime Minister stop driving the GMC Terrain to Mexico?
David Lametti LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. This government is creating jobs in the manufacturing sector, which is the cornerstone of our economy, employing close to 1.7 million Canadians.
In budget 2016, our government is making investments to help position Canadian manufacturing firms to grow and provide high-quality employment for the middle class. We have an innovation agenda. We are working on a Canadian free trade agreement. We have maintained jobs for Honda in Alliston, Ontario; Thomson Reuters, 1,500 jobs; GM Canada, 1,000 new engineering jobs in Ontario.
We have a darn good record.
Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON
Mr. Speaker, obviously the Prime Minister and his government are proud of the 53,000 manufacturing jobs they transitioned out of Canada last year.
While the new American administration is reducing taxation and regulations on business, the Prime Minister is sending jobs across the border by increasing them. In the last year alone, the Prime Minister has taxed 97,000 agricultural, natural resources, and manufacturing jobs out of this country.
When will the government stop taxing Canadians onto the unemployment line?
David Lametti LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are obviously concerned and extend our compassion to those impacted by job losses when economies are in transition. However, our government is funding jobs, programs, and skills training to help workers and their families affected by job losses. We will continue to work with our regional development agencies to make strategic investments to build on competitive regional advantages.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, these are today's headlines: “Ottawa's Infrastructure Plan in Jeopardy”; “Federal Money Invested More Slowly than Expected”; “Federal Infrastructure Plan Flagged”.
“Federal infrastructure spending lacks transparency”.
With his usual straight face, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities responded, “it is a remarkable accomplishment”.
When will the minister stop managing and spending taxpayers' money as though it was Monopoly money?
Amarjeet Sohi LiberalMinister of Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, since taking office we have approved 1,200 projects with a combined investment, in partnership with the municipalities and provinces, of $14 billion in infrastructure from coast to coast to coast.
I would also like to share with the hon. member that in the province of Quebec we have approved 58 projects with a combined investment of $1.47 billion. After two years of nothing being done for Quebec, we are on the move to get the work done.
Shannon Stubbs Conservative Lakeland, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told an audience in Peterborough that he plans to phase out the oil sands. That was tough news for the 425,000 Canadians who rely on the oil sands and related businesses for their paycheques. However, they are not the only ones who should be worried. The Prime Minister's policies are making life more expensive for families, and costing them their jobs across the board, not only in the oil sands. Can the Prime Minister explain why he is more focused on phasing out jobs than on creating them?
Kim Rudd LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, we in this House feel for people who have lost their jobs in the downturn of the energy sector particularly. The low commodity price of oil has affected tens of thousands of jobs across the country. We will continue to work with the modernization of the National Energy Board to create a better system that will have the confidence of Canadians, and get Canadians back to work.
Murray Rankin NDP Victoria, BC
Mr. Speaker, President Trump has issued yet another executive order. This one has serious implications for all Canadian travellers or innocent Internet users. Trump's order excludes all non-American citizens from the U.S. Privacy Act. This is deeply troubling. President Trump wants to subject all visitors to the United States to biometric screening. What is this Canadian government doing to protect the privacy rights of Canadians, and how will these screenings impact our industries that depend on speedy border crossings?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, when I had the opportunity to speak to my new U.S. counterpart earlier this week, Secretary Kelly, I had the opportunity to discuss some of the elements of the executive order with him. I specifically raised the issue of the reference in the executive order to biometric screening and asked for further clarification from the United States with respect to that matter. Obviously, it is something that it is looking at toward the future, and we want to be completely informed about what it has in mind.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are right to be worried about the protection of their privacy. The government still has not repealed Bill C-51, which breaches our rights, and now, one of President Trump's orders would hand over Canadian data to the United States without any legal protections.
Groups such as OpenMedia and the BC Civil Liberties Association are asking the government to stand up to Trump and protect Canadians' rights.
When will the minister take seriously the consequences of this order for Canadian citizens?