Debates of Feb. 6th, 2017

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, an internal U.S. briefing note indicates the Trump administration will target Canada's dairy supply management system and our softwood lumber industry. Instead of assuring Canadians that jobs in these key sectors will be protected, the Liberals have sent Brian Mulroney to act as Canada's intermediary. Mr. Mulroney is the architect of the flawed NAFTA deal and just last week he called for the elimination of supply management.

Will the government stand up to Trump and fight for Canadian jobs? Will it commit today that supply management will not be on the table?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government fully supports our dairy farmers and our supply management system. It is our party that fought hard to implement supply management and I can assure the House that we will protect and defend it. Canada's supply management system is a model for the world.

I can assure the House that there is a great future in the dairy industry and the manufacturing sector with the investments this government is making.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals asked Brian Mulroney to open a dialogue with the Trump administration for the renegotiation of NAFTA.

In 2014, the former prime minister gave a really frightening speech in which he recommended that our supply management system be dismantled and abolished. Last Thursday, he gave another similar speech saying that we should learn from New Zealand and Australia.

Canadians want the government to defend our supply management system. Can the government confirm today that it will defend our supply management system, and will the government tell us why it is sending a Conservative who does not believe in our supply management system—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to say it much more clearly. We have consulted dairy farmers and dairy processors around this country for the last number of months. We have invested $350 million to make sure that dairy farmers and the processing sector in this country are innovative.

The Liberal Party worked hard to put the supply management system in place and this government will make sure that we support the supply management system.

Agriculture and Agri-food

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, everywhere the Liberals go they create chaos and corruption. The Ontario Liberal energy policy has devastated investment in Ontario. It has become so bad that even rich Liberals cannot stand it any longer.

We have learned that the federal agriculture minister's chief of staff is turning her back on Ontario. She is building her new egg operations in Quebec because energy costs are half as much.

With this kind of impact on agriculture, why is the Prime Minister forcing Kathleen Wynne's disastrous energy policies on the rest of Canada?

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

Mr. Speaker, I answered this question many times in the House. My chief of staff is a very well-recognized lady, well respected in her community and honoured in her community. I hope and I am sure that the member does not want to indicate to the House or to this country that my chief of staff does nothing but promote agriculture in this country.

Government Appointments

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, chaos and corruption follow them. The Grain Commission is an important part of western Canadian agriculture overseeing grain quality. It has always been run by appointees who knew and understood agriculture. Now the Liberals are making it a dumping ground for patronage. The latest appointment is noticeable only for his lack of qualifications. Lonny McKague's credentials are that he knows the public safety minister and he is a failed Liberal candidate.

Why is the minister putting Liberal patronage ahead of western Canadian grain producers?

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

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware and the House is well aware, this government took a new approach to Governor in Council appointments and we are putting in place new Canadian grain commissioners who would benefit the sector, stand up for grain farmers, and deliver results to the industry. My hon. colleague is well aware of who was appointed. He also is well aware of how qualified the people who were appointed are and will do nothing but be an asset to the Canadian Grain Commission.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised an open appointment process. In that spirit of openness, the Minister of Justice has appointed guess who to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. It is none other than her former chief of staff. By openness, did the Prime Minister mean open to Liberals and closed to everyone else? Or is this just another Liberal promise made and another Liberal promise broken?

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

Mr. Speaker, I take very seriously the appointments process and the fact that it should be and must be open and transparent. My former chief of staff has been appointed to the Human Rights Tribunal because she is entirely qualified to fulfill that position and I look forward to her contribution to the tribunal as we move forward.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal Party is not throwing money out the window on useless renovations or giving subsidies to Canada 2020, it is doing what it has always done: rewarding its cronies.

We recently learned that the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Agriculture were only too happy to appoint friends of the Liberals, namely a former chief of staff and a defeated Liberal candidate, to important positions.

When will this government stop putting the Liberal Party's interests first and finally look out for the best interests of Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, as you know very well and as all Canadians know, we have committed to a more open, more transparent appointment process. We are proud of the process that we have undertaken. Canadians are able to apply for these positions. They are openly declared so that all Canadians can participate. We are proud of the appointments we are making and I am sure the member knows very well that they are good appointments here to serve Canadians.

Health

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to a University of Ottawa study, the provinces will not be able to maintain current services in the coming years if they accept the federal government's proposed health funding deal.

The parliamentary budget officer also sounded the alarm because of rising health costs due to, among other things, the aging population.

Will the government give the provinces the money they need to give people the services they need?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, our government is investing in health care in numbers that have never been seen in Canada before. We made an offer to provinces to grow that investment in the Canada health transfer such that it will outstrip provincial spending, it will outstrip GDP growth, and it will outstrip the rate of inflation. In addition to those increases in the Canada health transfer, we are investing $11 billion in home care and mental health. This will support Canadians and make sure that Canadians receive value for money spent.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this report shows that the federal government's health care offer falls far short of the provinces' increased costs. Already we are seeing the direct impacts of that underfunding like the horror stories coming out of Surrey, British Columbia, where a quadriplegic home care patient is forced to choose between a meal and a change of clothes.

Why have the Liberals broken their promise to properly fund health care and what the heck ever happened to the Liberals' campaign commitment to immediately invest $3 billion in home care?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, it is well known that Canadians pay some of the highest per capita costs for health care in the world. It is important that Canadians get value for the money invested in health care. That is why we are taking a new approach.

In addition to increasing the Canada health transfer, we are making targeted investments in the areas of home care and mental health, so that people like the woman to whom the member has referred will get access to home care, and we will transform health systems across this country.

Public Safety

[Frank Baylis, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Security Awareness Week starts today. This is an opportunity to make sure all Canadians feel safe.

Unfortunately, in the wake of the tragic shootings at the Centre islamique culturel de Québec, we can understand why many Canadian Muslims and members of other minority groups might feel vulnerable.

Can the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness tell us what the government is doing to help these communities protect themselves?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, we all grieve with our fellow Quebec City Muslim citizens.

We are extending to March 31 the deadline for our security infrastructure program, which helps communities protect against hate-motivated crimes. This is on top of other enhancements to the program to cover a greater variety of security measures and to make it more widely accessible.

Most important, we must all continue working together to foster respect, solidarity, cohesion, and inclusion. There is no licence for hate in Canada.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, it was revealed that the Super Hornets the Liberals are purchasing would be operational for only 12 years. It is unbelievable that the Liberals would waste $7 billion on an aircraft that they have already planned to mothball.

As we know, finance is not the Liberals' strong suit, but let us give them a hand. That costs over $300 million per jet. That is a colossal waste of taxpayers' money. That is a colossal waste of time for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Why will the Minister of National Defence not quit wasting time, resources, and money and move immediately to an open competition?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our government will take no risks with our ability to simultaneously meet Canada's NORAD and NATO commitments.

That is why we are exploring the acquisition of an interim fleet of 18 Super Hornet aircraft to supplement the CF-18 fleet until the permanent replacement arrives.

These measures will give Canadians the assurance that our defence needs will continue to be met in both the short and the long terms. We will launch an open competition.

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

Mr. Speaker, I feel I have to tell the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence that that purchase has been proven to be useless and that there is no capability gap.

The Super Hornets are going to cost between $5 billion and $7 billion, a price range that has been confirmed by Boeing officials. For 18 aircraft, that is highway robbery. It works out to between $277 million and $388 million per plane.

Is the Minister of National Defence still saying that this is the best deal for Canadians?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we are not going to wait to mitigate the risks associated with Canada's dependence on our CF-18 fighter fleet, which is over 30 years old.

We need a fighter jet that allows us to reduce our dependence on our current fleet of CF-18s as quickly as possible, so that we can continue to live up to our national and international obligations. In the end, the 18 new Super Hornets will mean that our military personnel can count on more advanced fighter jets to defend Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' approach for replacing our fighter jets makes absolutely no sense at all. The sole-source Super Hornet deal will cost up to $7 billion for only 18 jets for only 12 years of service.

This week, Boeing's competitor announced a price drop that puts the F-35 at the same price as the Super Hornet.

Will the Liberals finally listen to our air force and our defence procurement experts and start an open competition today to replace our aging F-18s?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has begun discussions with the U.S. government and the Boeing corporation for the possible procurement of 18 Super Hornet fighter jets.

Discussions with the American government and Boeing will allow us to determine whether Boeing can provide an interim cost-effective solution within a timeframe and with a capability level that are acceptable to Canada. In order to ensure that Canada gets the best value for money during future discussions and negotiations, we will not comment on the budget at this time.