Debates of March 24th, 2017

Infrastructure

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, working with our provincial and municipal partners in Alberta, we are improving transit, roads, bridges, and water systems for all Albertans. We have approved 127 projects with over $1.36 billion in federal funding, for total project costs of $4.2 billion in combined funding. Since taking office, 70% of these projects are under way. These projects include the Yellowhead Highway extension, the southwest Calgary ring road, and planning and design funding for the next phase of the Calgary Green Line. There is much more. I could go on about it, but let me be clear. This government is delivering for Albertans, it will continue to deliver for Albertans, and we are very proud of this budget. We will continue to do so.

Workforce Development

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec has the best workforce training system in North America.

Unfortunately, Ottawa keeps trying to throw a wrench into the works. In his latest budget, the Minister of Finance said he plans to reopen workforce agreements. The worst part is that he intends to rip us off the same way he did with pensions and health.

Will the minister change his approach and pledge once and for all to fully respect Quebec's jurisdiction and Quebec's workforce development agreement?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that, yes, we enter into agreements with the Province of Quebec, as we do with all provinces, and there is an amount agreed upon. What we understand from Quebec, for example, is that it stands alone with its student loan program. In the last budget, we increased the amount for loans and grants for the students of Quebec by $80 million, which they were very pleased with. That went straight into the pockets of Quebec students. This government will do what is best, not just for the students of Quebec but for the people of Quebec.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec and Canada co-operate so well that Quebec's National Assembly unanimously condemned the recent budget. That says it all.

Ottawa has nothing to do with training in Quebec, and everything is fine. Ottawa is involved in other provinces, and everything is messed up. The problem seems obvious to me. We have been asking a simple question for three days now, but we cannot seem to get an answer.

Can the minister confirm, once and for all, that the government will adhere to its workforce development agreements with Quebec, yes or no?

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the importance of helping Canadians get the training they need so they can find and keep the good jobs we are helping to create with this budget. Budget 2016 invested one-year funding of $125 million for labour market development agreements to support these skills training programs, and it will help Canadians succeed regardless of what province they are in. As it relates to Quebec, yes, we have begun conversations with provinces, territories, and stakeholders, which of course includes Quebec, on ways to improve the labour market development agreements so we can target our future investments even more precisely, so the people of Quebec, in fact people right across the country, get the training, the jobs, and the support they need to join the middle class. If they are working hard to get there—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to suspend the deportation of young José Pinedo Pella and his parents, which is scheduled for Monday. Without the minister's intervention, the health of young José Pinedo Pella, who has heart problems, will be jeopardized. The family is well established in Quebec City. Both parents work here. This is their home.

Will the minister step in to prevent this deportation that will jeopardize the life of Jose Pinedo Pella and his parents?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member across the way that the government is aware of the case.

It is currently under review. As the hon. member surely knows, every case is different and Canadian privacy laws prevent us from commenting on specific cases without the permission of those concerned.

We are aware of this case and it is under review.

Infrastructure

[Hunter Tootoo, Independent, Nunavut, NU]

Qujannamiik uqaqti.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, who is wearing an awesome tie.

Community leaders of the Kivalliq region of Nunavut and northern Manitoba make up the Hudson Bay Regional Round Table. They have been exploring the possibility of constructing an all-weather road, complete with hydro and fibre optic infrastructure, to supply their regions respectively.

My question is this. Would the feasibility study for this project qualify for funding under any or all of the following: the national trade corridor fund, the Arctic energy fund, and/or the connect to innovate fund?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Nunavut for the advocacy he does for the people of his riding. He omitted to mention that both ties we are wearing today were made by the wonderful people in his riding.

Our government, in budget 2017, recognized that rural and northern communities have distinct infrastructure needs. We will help to address these unique pressures in these communities by investing $2 billion over 11 years. An additional $400 million will help address energy security in remote and northern communities, including indigenous communities. We will work with the Government of Nunavut as we finalize the details of these programs.

Qujannamiik uqaqti.

Government Response to Petitions

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to six petitions.

Veterans Well-being Act

[Kent Hehr, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act, the Pension Act and the Department of Veterans Affairs Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

An Act Respecting a Payment to be made out of The Consolidated Revenue Fund

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Regina—Wascana, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-43, An Act respecting a payment to be made out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to support a pan-Canadian artificial intelligence strategy.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Status of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled Main Estimates 2017-18, Votes 1 and 5 under Office of the Co-ordinator.

Environment and Sustainable Development

[Deb Schulte, Liberal, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, entitled Taking Action Today: Establishing Protected Areas for Canada's Future. The committee is very pleased to be tabling our protected areas report after many months of testimony and discussion. I want to thank all of those who took the time to inform the committee through testimony, briefs, and spending time during our trip. Those efforts have added significantly to the recommendations in the report.

I also want to thank all the members of the committee for working co-operatively together to produce a unanimous report. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Palliative Care

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to present this petition in the House. It is a petition about hospice palliative care, which is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illnesses. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to specifically identify hospice palliative care as a defined medical service covered under the Canada Health Act, so that the provincial and territorial governments will be entitled to fund it under the Canada health transfer system and will provide accessible and available hospice palliative care for all residents of Canada in their respective provinces and territories.

Telecommunications

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and submit a petition in relation to community television and media. Dozens of New Brunswickers have signed a petition which asks the government to enable community-operated media centres that would ensure the survival of community television. It also calls for the availability of local media in small towns and neighbourhoods that are not served by private or public media. The petitioners also call upon the government to ensure that Canadians have access to multimedia platforms, multimedia skills training, content distribution capacity, and the digital economy.

Organ Donation

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-316. The bill asks that Canadians be able to register as organ donors through their annual tax returns. While 90% of Canadians support being an organ donor, only 25% are registered.

April is BeADonor month, which aims to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation. Ironically, April is also the deadline for filing taxes.

Becoming an organ donor is the easiest way to save a life of a fellow human being. By raising awareness and making registering easier, we can save more lives.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 837 and 840.

Question No. 837

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

With regard to the announced launch of the negotiations toward a national resolution to the Sixties Scoop litigation: (a) what parties are negotiating with the government; (b) what terms has the government set for the negotiation process; (c) who will act as a mediator during the process; (d) will the government continue to litigate ongoing cases during this negotiation process; (e) has the government considered survivors' wants and needs in the negotiation process; and (f) what is the timeframe and schedule of the negotiation process?

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Sixties Scoop is a dark and painful chapter in Canada’s history.

On February 1, 2017, the government announced the launch of a national process to resolve these claims in a compassionate, respectful, and fair manner, as a way forward towards reconciliation and healing. On February 28, 2017, Canada met with counsel representing all of the class actions as a first step in negotiating an agreement in principle to resolve Sixties Scoop litigation.

A negotiated settlement could allow the parties to go beyond the remedies that can be granted by the courts by exploring concrete ways to also address the culture, traditions, and customs that have been lost. We believe this is the best way to achieve healing and reconciliation.

Negotiation rather than litigation is the government’s preferred route to settle differences and right historical wrongs. This commitment is demonstrated by the settlement of the Anderson class actions and the recent appointment of Thomas Isaac as ministerial special representative to lead the exploratory discussions in the Gottfriedson class action.

The government is committed to working together to achieving a constructive national resolution to the painful legacy of the Sixties Scoop.

Question No. 840

[Bev Shipley, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

With regard to the NEXUS program, since January 27, 2017: (a) how many NEXUS card revocations have there been for (i) Canadian citizens, (ii) Canadian permanent residents, (iii) in total for Canadian citizens and permanent residents; (b) how many revocation decisions were made by the (i) Canadian government, (ii) United States government; (c) what were the reasons for each revocation in (a); (d) for dual Canadian citizens who have had their NEXUS card revoked, what is the breakdown of their other country of citizenship; and (e) for Canadian permanent residents who have had their NEXUS card revoked, what is the breakdown of their country of citizenship?

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), between January 27 and February 10, 2017, the CBSA revoked the Nexus cards of 44 Canadians and five permanent residents, for a total of 49.

With regard to (b), both Canada and the United States make independent decisions regarding Nexus eligibility and revocation, and there is no obligation to report these decisions to the other country. The Canadian government made 49 of these decisions; the number made by the United States government is not available.

With regard to (c)(i), of the 44 revocations of Nexus cards for Canadian citizens, 17 were due to seizures at the port of entry under the Customs Act; 14 were due to program violations under the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, such as travelling with commercial goods, facilitation of a non-member, and travelling with restricted, controlled, or prohibited goods; and 13 were due to criminality when new criminal information was found in law enforcement databases. With regard to (c)(ii), of the five revocations of NEXUS cards for Canadian permanent residents, three were due to seizures at the port of entry under the Customs Act and two were due to program violations under the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, such as travelling with commercial goods, facilitation of a non-member, and travelling with restricted, controlled, or prohibited goods.

With regard to (d), there is no obligation for an individual to self-identify as a dual national. The statistics provided reflect cases where the CBSA was aware of a secondary citizenship. The countries of citizenship were Brazil in one case, China in one case, and the United States in one case.

With regard to (e), the breakdown of the country of citizenship for Canadian permanent residents who have had their Nexus cards revoked is as follows: Japan, one; China, two; and India, two.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if the government's response to Questions Nos. 838 and 839 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Is that agreed?