Debates of Feb. 8th, 2017

Aerospace Industry

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, wait a second. The Prime Minister wrote a cheque for $370 million to a single company, and he did not get assurances from them that they would hire one single new worker. I really hope he gets a new negotiating team before he sits down with President Trump and talks about NAFTA or we are screwed.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I will make note that the Prime Minister was speechless.

Let us be clear about what is happening today. The Prime Minister is handing a giant corporation $370 million and forcing taxpayers across the country to pay for it with a massive new carbon tax. He is making life easier for a multi-billion dollar corporation that said it did not need the money, while making it harder for people, ordinary taxpayers, families, and business owners.

Could he please explain to us, one last time, how this makes any sense?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, by making a loan to Bombardier of close to $400 million, we are investing in research and development here in the country, creating thousands of good, new middle-class jobs in a growth industry that is going to continue to demonstrate how competitive Canada can be in the world.

We continue to be focused on innovation and research that is going to lead to good jobs for Canadians. In a world that is changing, we need to make sure that Canadians can continue to compete at the highest levels, because I know we are capable of it, and we are demonstrating it every single day.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend, 22 refugees crossed the border from the United States seeking safety in Canada. Some walked 12 kilometres in -20° weather. Under the safe third country agreement, any refugee who sets foot in the U.S. is blocked from coming to Canada and is therefore forced to resort to these extreme measures.

Can the Prime Minister explain why he is defending this agreement with the U.S. when he knows that it is causing further harm to vulnerable refugees?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration along with the Minister of Public Safety are very concerned about the situation in Emerson. Indeed, we need to make sure that we are protecting the integrity of the Canadian border and the strength of our immigration and refugee system, and demonstrating that we are there for the security of communities and individuals.

Canada will always be welcoming to vulnerable people. We need to make sure that we are doing it the right way to protect them and to protect our country.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, if he is very concerned, why is he not doing anything?

A Canadian family was recently stopped at the United States border. These Canadian citizens, residents of Brossard, just happen to be Muslim. They were questioned on their religion and their opinion of Donald Trump before being told that they could not enter the United States.

Trump's decisions are affecting Canadians now.

Why will the Prime Minister not stand up to defend them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every day, 400,000 Canadians cross the United States border. We are working with the American administration. Our ambassador, my office staff, and several ministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs who is in the U.S. today, are talking about how we can improve the way things work between our two countries and how we can protect the rights of Canadians. That is an issue that everyone here is concerned about and we are doing something about it.

Democratic Reform

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Democratic Institutions was informed of the government's decision to break its promise just one day before she was forced to announce it.

The Prime Minister did not make the announcement himself. He hid behind his new minister. He refused to take responsibility for his deceit.

I have a very specific question for the Prime Minister: when exactly did he decide to break his promise?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to taking responsibility, everyone knows that it is in the mandate letters, which are available to the public on the website. These letters from the Prime Minister to the ministers explain what they will be responsible for during their time in office. It is very clear, it is transparent, it is open, and my signature is on every single mandate letter.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the only problem is that this particular letter was well hidden. The minister herself had to unveil it once it was clear that the Prime Minister had broken his promise.

The Prime Minister said just a few weeks ago, “I've heard loudly and clearly that Canadians want a better system of...choosing our governments”. It sounds like consensus to me. He also said, “I make promises because I believe in them”. It is more like he makes promises when they help him win an election.

Will the Prime Minister apologize to Canadians for so blatantly misleading them?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been clear that they want improvements to our democracy, and that is exactly what we are working on, whether it is protecting political parties or political systems from cybersecurity threats, whether it is ensuring better transparency around fundraising, or whether it is improving by undoing changes made by the previous government that make it harder for Canadians to vote.

There are many things we are working on to improve our democracy, and that is what Canadians expect.

Foreign Affairs

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a number of government ministers are in Washington today. Of course, we are getting used to extravagant visits to Washington. There will be a big dinner with all kinds of photo ops. We welcomed the President of the United States here on June 29. Once again, there was a big show and a big party, but with zero results.

Are the ministers who went to Washington actually going to bring anything back for Canadians?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with her American counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, today. The two political leaders discussed priority issues and areas of co-operation between Canada and the U.S. They emphasized the importance of the economic relations between the two countries, which account for millions of jobs for the middle class. They also discussed the balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship that exists between Canada and the U.S., as well as softwood lumber. We will vigorously defend our natural resources.

Softwood Lumber

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, several of my parliamentary colleagues and I met with a delegation of mayors from the Union des municipalités du Québec.

The Prime Minister just said that the ministers' mandate letters should be taken as gospel. Not a single one of the letters talks about the need to resolve the softwood lumber issue. That is quite worrisome.

How can these politicians who believe in the future of the forestry industry in Quebec and across Canada hope to gain support when we have seen nothing but talk and no results?

When will we finally see results?

[Andrew Leslie, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada-U.S. Relations)]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to be committed to protecting Quebec's forestry and will continue to include it in all our negotiations.

We continue to work closely with the workers and producers in the softwood lumber sector, the provinces, and the territories because we are looking for an agreement that is good for Canada and Quebec, not just any agreement.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the $170-billion Liberal Green Energy Act has inflated electricity prices, forced the poorest to the food bank, and left Ontario with the highest poverty rate of any province in Canada.

Because poor households spend a larger share of their income on gas, groceries, and heat, they will suffer the most from this new federally mandated carbon tax.

The government is censoring data on the harm the tax will do to the poorest Canadians. Why?

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

Mr. Speaker, after a decade of inaction on climate and the environment, we are taking serious action and we are doing it with the provinces and territories, but we are also supported by labour organizations, by business, and by environmentalists across the country.

This consensus includes all five major banks. It includes major energy companies. It includes major consumer goods companies, and I was heartened to see that elder statesmen of the Republican Party today just announced that they support putting a price on carbon pollution.

When will the party opposite understand that it is the right thing to do?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member is very proud that millionaire CEOs and U.S. Republican wealthy elites favour a carbon tax. We on this side of the House of Commons are actually fighting for working-class Canadians.

Yesterday we learned that Kathleen Wynne will use proceeds of the carbon tax to give rebates for $150,000 Teslas.

This is another prime Liberal example of welfare for the wealthy. When will the Liberals finally stand up for the hard-working men and women who pay the bills in this country?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is always a big surprise to hear members of the party opposite talk about caring about the working class, given the Conservative Party's policies, but maybe I will just quote MPP Patrick Brown, with whom the member may be familiar. He said, “Climate change is a fact. It is a threat. It is man-made. We have to do something about it, and that something includes putting a price on carbon.”

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question to ask you: what is the Prime Minister's word worth? Earlier, the Prime Minister did not respond to the question of the Leader of the Opposition.

Last week, at almost the exact same time, the Prime Minister told the House, “We are not going to tax health and dental insurance.”

Yesterday, we introduced a motion that quoted the Prime Minister and it was no surprise that he voted against the motion containing his very words. My question is very simple.

Has the champion of broken promises become the champion of empty words?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to investing in the middle class and those working hard to join it.

It is our party that cut taxes for the middle class and it is the party opposite that voted against this motion. It is also our party that established the Canada child benefit, which is more generous and will help Canadians raise their children.

We are moving forward with our plan to support the middle class and we are proud of it.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is beginning to have some competition when it comes to not answering questions. The question was very simple, yet once again, we see that this government is saying one thing but voting the opposite way.

Will the government commit right now to protecting the tax credits that directly affect thousands of Canadians, namely those related to public transit, volunteer firefighters, and registered education savings plans?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our government supports the middle class and those working hard to join it. It was our government that lowered taxes for the middle class. It was also our government that created the very generous Canada child benefit, which will help 9 out of 10 families by putting more tax-free money in their pockets.