Debates of March 22nd, 2017

Ethics

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just a question of role and money. It is a question of principle and honour, and the government has none.

A prime minister must adhere to three guiding principles: he must show humility, show restraint, and manage finances carefully.

When will this Prime Minister finally act with honour, lead by example, and stop wasting Canadians' money?

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

Mr. Speaker, what exactly was the protocol for previous prime ministers, including the former prime minister?

The RCMP always accompanies the Prime Minister when he travels, whether for business or pleasure.

One of the first things we did was ask the Clerk of the Privy Council to put guidelines in place regarding the travel expenses of the sitting Prime Minister, his family, and their guests.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am interested to know how much the finance minister will put in the budget for the Prime Minister's future vacations to billionaire islands.

We just learned it cost taxpayers $127,000 the last time, and that is before we add the cost of the Ethics Commissioner's investigation. When will the Prime Minister realize that real Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, and they cannot afford, and do not want to pay for, his lavish lifestyle?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected our government on a plan to grow the economy and strengthen the middle class, and we are delivering on that very commitment.

Over the last six months, almost 220,000 jobs were created, the majority of which were full-time jobs. This is the strongest six months of job growth in almost a decade. This is evidence that the plan we have put in place is working.

We will continue to make the necessary investments in budget 2017 to continue to strengthen the middle class and those working hard to join it and to create the conditions for growth of our economy.

Social Development

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals love to talk up the Canada child benefit. It was supposed to help nine million children out of poverty, but in my riding, there are many families that have to jump through one hoop after another just to submit a claim. What good is a benefit if families that really need it are not getting it?

How many eligible parents have yet to receive the Canada child benefit, and when will the government shift its priorities from protecting the wealthiest to making life more affordable for all Canadians?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, all members of the House were delighted with the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which is the most important social policy innovation in a generation. It is because we are not sending benefits and cheques to families of millionaires anymore that we are able to help nine families out of 10, families with six million children across Canada who receive on average $200 per month, non-taxable, unlike the earlier inequitable tax system.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Service alimentaire communautaire, the SAC, has been providing a unique food assistance program to the families of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield since 2001. It may have to close its doors in June, leaving many vulnerable families with nowhere to turn unless the federal government takes urgent action.

A letter was sent to the minister one month ago, but the organization and my constituents have not received a response. A growing number of families in the region are having difficulty putting food on the table. Last December alone, the use of food banks skyrocketed following a 300% increase in demand.

When will the minister take action?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, the government was elected because it promised to grow the economy and the middle class and to help more Canadians join the middle class. With that in mind, today's budget will introduce an even more solid program to make our society more inclusive and to ensure that Canadian families that are struggling have a better chance to flourish and succeed.

I would ask the member to listen very carefully to what will be said in just a few minutes.

Open Government Partnership

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are proud that their government takes openness and transparency seriously. They appreciate the fact that their government gets them involved in finding solutions to their problems.

Now, it is the international community's turn to demonstrate its confidence in Canada's leadership and openness.

Can the minister explain to the House Canada's new role on the global stage, now that we have been elected to a seat on the steering committee of the Open Government Partnership?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that Canada was elected by its international partners to hold one of the four seats on the steering committee of the Open Government Partnership.

The Open Government Partnership is an international organization that brings together 75 countries and hundreds of civil society organizations. We are going to help promote the global movement towards more open and accountable government.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has been playing fast and loose with the truth. First, there was the Liberals' fabricated fighter jet capability gap, which is really a Liberal credibility gap. Then the minister put an unprecedented gag order on DND officials and stifled debate right here in Parliament. Now the defence minister says it was not him who cut danger pay from our troops fighting ISIS, but I have a document right here with his signature on it that proves that it was.

Will the minister come clean and apologize for misleading Canadians, or is he going to double down on his alternate facts?

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the member opposite might be feeling a bit of guilt from the time when he was the parliamentary secretary sending our troops overseas without the tax exemption. That was his original question from yesterday. As I told him very openly, we looked at the problem in February 2016 and sent a letter to the finance minister to get this changed. There are rules that were placed in 2014 that we are now reviewing so that we can make sure that when we send troops, they do not have to deal with this issue ever again.

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

Mr. Speaker, when I was a young officer in the army, I was taught to be honest, but from what I can see, not everyone received that training.

The minister distorts the facts whenever it suits him. He has made up a capability gap because that will allow him to purchase Super Hornets and please his friends at Boeing. Secondly, to justify the fact that he has not done anything to improve protection for cadets, he is saying that they no longer handle weapons, even though many cadet corps participate in shooting competitions.

Will the minister stop misleading the House and apologize?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of my service in the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist. I am proud of my combat time.

Every time I make a decision, it is about thinking about when I had boots on the ground. That is how I will take every future decision.

Government Advertising

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

Mr. Speaker, at festivals and events, at consulates and the Canadian embassy in the U.S., cardboard cut-outs of the Prime Minister have started appearing. Much like the real-life version of the Prime Minister, there were plenty of selfies but not much in the way of substance. The cut-outs are so vain that the Prime Minister probably thinks a certain Carly Simon song was about him.

When Canadian seniors and families are paying for the Liberals' tax-and-spend agenda, who thought a cut-out was a good idea, and how much did it cost? What was the Prime Minister thinking?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the promotional item in question was at the discretion of our missions in the United States. The missions have been asked to no longer use these for their events.

Regardless, under this government, Canada is re-engaging in the world to champion the values Canadians hold dear, both here and abroad. This includes taking all opportunities to engage with our international counterparts, including the United States, Canada's partner and ally.

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

Mr. Speaker, it turns out that the cut-outs became an international embarrassment to the Liberals because of inappropriate things people were doing and posting on social media.

Global Affairs ordered the life-sized effigies taken down, as Liberals knew that they were tarnishing the Prime Minister's celebrity persona. Now the government is refusing to tell Canadians how much they cost.

In just over an hour, Canadians will find out how much more will be lifted from their wallets to pay for frivolous and out-of-control Liberal spending.

Who authorized this half-baked idea, and what were they smoking?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will reply in our other official language this time.

The use of the promotional item in question was at the discretion of our Canadian missions in the United States. They have been asked to no longer use it for their events.

Regardless, under this government, Canada is re-engaging in the world to champion Canadian values. This includes taking all opportunities to engage with our international counterparts, including the United States, our international friend and ally.

The Environment

[Wayne Stetski, NDP, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Calgary Olympic bid exploration committee is making plans to include Banff's Lake Louise ski area in its 2026 bid. Putting the Olympic Games in Canada's oldest national park would require expanding the resort into protected natural areas. The environment minister has been silent on whether she would permit Olympic expansion in this UNESCO world heritage site.

Will she stand today and firmly reject any further development in Banff National Park?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a rich and proud history of hosting both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Any bid from any city and province will definitely be looked at within the context of this submission, including under our international hosting sports strategy and policy. We will make a decision once we have all the information, once we have government guarantees, and certainly taking into consideration where this event is supposed to be hosted.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, four months ago, a South Korean cargo ship lost 35 containers at sea, and potentially harmful debris is still arriving every day on Vancouver Island's west coast. Large pieces of metal and chunks of styrofoam are contaminating our sensitive ecosystems.

The Liberal government continues to delay and refuses to act. Community volunteers have been forced to start cleanup efforts themselves. Now we learn that the government received $72,000 from the company to clean up the mess, but it still has not released the funds. Will the government finally step up, do its job, and clean up the mess?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, occasionally incidents such as this do happen, and we have made it clear to the owner of the ship that it is responsible for the cleanup, and we will make sure that it does happen.

Democratic Reform

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the spectacle in the House today was not a good one for the Prime Minister. He was there laughing and heckling and over-talking the Conservative House leader when she was trying to make a pertinent point about the future of parliamentary democracy in this country. The Prime Minister treats this chamber as his personal chew toy.

We are going to stand in our place, we are going to fight for democracy, and we are going to fight for Canadians' rights. When is the Prime Minister going to be on our side and live up to his promises in the last election, rather than throwing it all out the window for his own personal gain?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate once again the opportunity to rise in the House to talk about the important discussion paper I presented to members of Parliament as well as the public. An important conversation needs to take place. It is important that we read the document in its entirety.

I remember when I was growing up that I talked about change and the importance of change. I remember a good friend of mine saying to me that change starts with me. Every single one of us has a responsibility to Canadians to be part of this conversation. I know we can have a good conversation, a meaningful, constructive conversation, and I encourage all members to be part of it.

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals campaigned on a promise of real change. This is real change, a move from democracy to what? A dictatorship? The Chinese style of dictatorship the Prime Minister seems to prefer is creeping its way into committees. Discussions are more like directives.

I would like to ask the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, what is the schedule, what is the agenda, and what are the priorities of the committee on procedure and house affairs?