Debates of April 12th, 2017

Taxation

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am tremendously proud to remind Canadians that this year access to our national parks is absolutely free. We know that for our 150th birthday, encouraging Canadians to get out and discover the amazing beauty of our national parks, our historic sites, is going to be really important to create the kind of pride in our country and to share with our kids the extraordinary natural beauty for future generations to come.

Justice

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I introduced a bill that would ensure judges would be trained to deal with sexual assault trials. Fixing this problem is something that is necessary and is widely supported. Too many rape victims do not report the violence they experience because they have no confidence in the justice system.

I understood from our conversations and the votes of his caucus that the Prime Minister was committed to passing this legislation, but now I hear otherwise. I would like to give the Prime Minister a chance today to be clear. With a simple yes or no, will the Prime Minister and his caucus pass this bill and support rape victims?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone in the House knows, I take very seriously the responsibility of society, to protect survivors of sexual assault, to give them processes through our justice system that will give them the right support. However, as everyone in the House also knows, I respect Parliament and the work done in committees. I encourage everybody to continue to do their—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. If members have arguments to make, they should save them so we can all hear them when they have the floor.

The right hon. Prime Minister has more to seconds.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the discussions being had at committee right now on the best way to protect survivors within our justice system. I can emphasize again that we have put forward a strategy on gender-based violence and have even put money toward the training of judges, as well.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP and other parties support it. Even chief justices have come forward to support this. Lawyers support it, judges support it, academics support it, advocates for change support it, and front-line sexual assault supporters definitely support it. Who else supports it? Women across this country who want to have more confidence in our justice system.

The Prime Minister talks the talk of the feminists, but I would like to know how he could possibly defend the status quo.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, not only do we know how important it is to ensure that survivors of sexual assault have strong access to justice, we also need to make sure that our judiciary looks more like Canada. That is why we are proud that 60% of our appointments to judge positions at the federal level were women. That is up from about 35% under the previous government. The fact is, there are a lot of things we can and must do to improve the way our justice system treats survivors of sexual assault.

I am pleased that the committee is looking at many ways of doing it, including the private member's bill brought forward by the member.

The Budget

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, some time ago, a Liberal candidate said that he would not use omnibus bills, period.

Who said that? The current Prime Minister. The budget implementation bill amends no less than 30 laws, from immigration and navigation protection to justice. At the same time, it privatizes our infrastructure, creates tolls, cuts the public transit tax credit, and keeps tax breaks for CEOs.

Why do the Liberals always look after their rich friends?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government used omnibus bills to prevent debate in the House and to limit the ability of MPs to examine what was in the budget by putting all kinds of different things in one single budget.

We made a commitment to put only budget items that are part of Canada's economic plan in the budget implementation bill. That is exactly what we are doing. We will not make inappropriate use of omnibus bills like the former government did.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today I think we should try to bring together two people who have clearly become estranged from one another. It is time for an intervention.

Not so long ago, the man from Papineau said this about omnibus bills: “I’d like to say I wouldn’t use them, period.” That seems pretty clear. He also said, “The kitchen-sink approach here is a real worry to me.” Yes, to me too, yet the Prime Minister has just dropped a 300-page omnibus bill on Canadians.

My question for the Prime Minister is this: Whatever happened to that guy from Papineau?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I saw for many years the previous government use omnibus legislation as a way of avoiding debate, as a way of putting everything into a piece of legislation, whether or not it had links to it.

A budget bill contains--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. We need to hear the answer. When “order” is said, members need to listen. The Right Hon. Prime Minister has 20 seconds.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, any budget bill contains a broad range of provisions that will include economic outcomes for Canadians that touch on a broad range of issues, because Canadians want to know that their government is dealing with the broad scope of challenges Canadians are facing at the economic level.

That is exactly why we are proud of all the elements in this budget that are being put forward to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, every budget “contains a broad range of provisions”. I did not think I would hear the Prime Minister quoting Stephen Harper.

I am sorry, but by the Prime Minister's own definition, this is an omnibus bill. What is the word for that? Oh, yes. The word is hypocrisy.

The bill would change the PBO, a critical watchdog the Prime Minister once said must have “independent strength, to offer the check and balance to a government.” The Prime Minister's omnibus bill would completely gut that independent strength of the PBO. That is something from a guy who used to admit that checks and balances were essential, because the “prime minister with a majority is more powerful...than any Western leader.”

Why is this Prime Minister gutting the power to hold him to account?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud to be following through on our commitment to strengthen the independence of the parliamentary budget officer; to make him or her a full officer of Parliament, accountable to the Speakers of the House and the Senate and not to the librarian of Parliament; to give him or her greater tools to access information to answer the questions parliamentarians may ask; and even, at the request of political parties, to evaluate political platforms to make sure Canadians know what they are getting when they vote for someone.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government wants to tie the hands of the parliamentary budget officer under the guise of making him more independent. That is what we are seeing with Bill C-44, and it is very troubling.

I would like to ask three very simple questions. Will the parliamentary budget officer still have the freedom to initiate investigations based on current events or will he be subject to an annual plan? Will parliamentarians be able to request investigations on subjects of their choice? Finally, will the ministers and departments be bound by law to co-operate with and give information to the parliamentary budget officer?

The quality of our democratic life depends on this. These are three very serious questions.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the concerns and fervour of the member opposite.

When we were in the opposition, we too had need of a more independent parliamentary budget officer who could answer our questions. Thanks to this bill, you will have improved access to an officer of Parliament, the parliamentary budget officer, who will be able to do what is expected.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I remind the hon. Prime Minister to address his comments to the Chair.

The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Jean.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister admitted to flying in a private helicopter during a dream vacation. That is against the rules.

He then said it was the only way to get to the island. Now we have learned that one of his employees had 400 pounds of cargo, and the cargo went to the island. Something is fishy here.

Today the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is investigating the Prime Minister. That is unprecedented. What is he going to tell the commissioner? That it was a little personal trip? I personally do not need one of my employees to bring 400 pounds of cargo when I go on vacation.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it was a family vacation with a long-time family friend. As I have said many times, I am very happy to work with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and to answer any questions she may have.

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

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the Prime Minister mentioned Malala's humility, and I completely agree with him. He should also have shown some humility and recognized that it was Prime Minister Harper who recognized Malala as a Canadian citizen. He should have done so.

Mr. Harper would never have agreed to travel to a private island for a so-called personal vacation at a cost of $150,000 to taxpayers. I consider this a lack of respect for the office of a government member.

Will the Prime Minister tell us what happened and why it cost Canadians $135,000?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to have welcomed Malala as an honorary Canadian citizen here, in Ottawa, so she could address Parliament.

I would like to point out that she became an honorary citizen thanks to a unanimous vote in the House of Commons. Everyone wanted Malala to become a Canadian citizen.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, nearly 10% of my city is out of work and struggling with the emotional stress of trying to make ends meet, so when the Prime Minister stands in this place and tells these people he did nothing wrong by spending hundreds of thousands of their tax dollars on a personal vacation, he disrespects them.

When the Prime Minister stands and tries to spin that he somehow has the right to flagrantly fly above the law, does he think Canadian taxpayers are fools, or does he think they are foolish enough to buy that garbage?