Debates of April 6th, 2017

Business Excellence

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, happy Tartan Day to all.

To say that I am proud of the companies and residents of South Shore—St. Margarets who continue to raise the bar when it comes to business, innovation, and community involvement would be an understatement. I would like to highlight a few of those businesses which last month were recognized by the Lunenburg-Queens Business Excellence awards for their outstanding achievements: All Outdoors Landscaping; Buck's Home Building Centre; Tilia Builders; CO3 co-working space; Terra Beata Cranberry Farm; and Atlantica Oak Island Resort & Conference Centre.

That is not all. Just last week we learned that Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg took home five medals from the international distillers' competition in Germany: two golds for its gin and apple brandy, and silvers for its Pear-eau-de-vie, amber rum, and its ever popular Bluenose rum.

I invite all of my colleagues to join me in congratulating these award winners, and all rural businesses across the country, for the outstanding contributions they make to our communities.

International Women's Day

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for International Women's Day I invited my constituents to nominate a woman who inspires them.

I stand today to recognize an exceptional woman. Gabriella Mammone demonstrated to all of us that, when life gets difficult, how we react to it is what is important.

In 2004, Gaby was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A successful entrepreneur, Gaby became an ambassador for the MS Society. She also founded Kind Projects, which helps charities achieve their goals.

Ms. Mammone received a Mississauga Civic Award of Recognition followed by a Canadian Small Business Woman of the Month award.

Gaby is married to Tony and is the mother of Gianluca and Alessia.

If people ever feel a sense of helplessness in the face of adversity, all they need to do is look at Gaby. She is a mother, a wife, an entrepreneur, an activist, dealing with MS, yet she finds strength to lift us all and make Canada a better place.

Forced Organ Harvesting

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this week I announced my intention to reintroduce Bill C-561 from the last Parliament, a bill dealing with forced organ harvesting.

In other parts of the world, most notably in China, people who have committed no crime are murdered by the state so that their organs can be used for transplantation and for other purposes. Often these people are being targeted as part of the PRC's repression of religious and spiritual communities that they do not like.

Here in Canada we have a legal gap, which must be addressed. There is no law to prevent a Canadian from going abroad to receive a harvested organ. Supporting forced organ harvesting is a crime against humanity in international law, so it should be a crime here in Canada as well.

I am reaching across party lines to get this done. This bill was originally written by Irwin Cotler, a former Liberal justice minister.

I look forward to working with the member for Etobicoke Centre, who also proposed a bill on this issue in a previous Parliament.

As the government pursues closer ties with China, it must allay legitimate fears that human rights will be sacrificed along the way. Fixing gaps in Canadian law on organ harvesting would be a very good step.

Vimy Ridge

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Mr. Speaker, at 5:30 in the morning on April 9, 1917, a relentless artillery barrage pounded German trenches in front of the Canadian lines at Vimy Ridge. Unlike on most of the ridge, the barrage failed to hit a critical German trench system facing the 87th Battalion CEF, the Canadian Grenadier Guards.

Facing the steeper part of the hill, these brave men, mostly in their 20s, rose from their trenches encountering the stiffest resistance of the German lines. Within six minutes, more than half of the initial wave was wiped out.

While the Canadian corps won the day, the Canadian Grenadier Guards, the unit I would proudly serve in 73 years later, suffered one of the highest casualty rates among all units, with 155 killed in action and more than 150 others wounded, of the 800 or so who took part in the assault. Thanks to these men, who fought foremost for their fellow brothers in arms, a country was born.

Sons who loved and were loved, never to be fathers, this simple soldier lucky enough to have avoided the stench of war thanks my brothers and sisters. Rest in peace.

Poverty Reduction

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

Mr. Speaker, this week, a working group of local mayors, regional district directors, the MLA, the MP, first nations, and community groups like the Alberni-Clayoquot Health Network put together the Alberni-Clayoquot working together to reduce poverty protocol agreement.

The protocol agreement compels leaders to consider the innate connections between poverty and health outcomes when formulating policy and planning for the future of our communities.

Sadly, Canada and B.C. have failed to show leadership on poverty reduction, and it shows. The ACRD has the fourth highest rate of poverty in all of British Columbia. One in three children are living in poverty. The percentage of people receiving income assistance in that area is three times the provincial average. This is why we need collaborative leadership on poverty eradication across all jurisdictions.

There is a lot to be done, but together we can work to lift people out of poverty and build thriving, strong communities for all.

Tartan Day

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is Canada's seventh annual Tartan Day. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the nearly five million Canadians of Scottish heritage.

In Perth County, we are celebrating the unveiling of the Perth County tartan. Under the leadership of Perth County Council, the Perth County tartan was created to honour the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

The tartan colours are green to represent our deep agricultural roots and fertile land, blue to represent the rivers and streams, red to commemorate the sacrifice of our early settlers and pioneers and the veterans who fought so hard for our freedoms, and gold to reflect the industrious nature of the people of Perth County.

I would like to thank and congratulate all of those involved in the creation of this wonderful tartan, including councillors Helen Dowd, Doug Kellum, and Bob Wilhelm and committee member Pauline Hartfeil.

I am proud to wear this tartan as a part of our county's proud and rich heritage.

Rwandan Genocide

[Celina Caesar-Chavannes, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the 23rd anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, which began on April 7, 1994. Approximately one million people lost their lives over a three-month period.

Tomorrow's commemoration marks the beginning of one of the darkest chapters in human history and should serve as a constant reminder of the never-again promise that the international community failed to uphold in Rwanda. It is also a day to reflect on our responsibility to prevent genocide and protect the vulnerable.

I would like to salute the actions of those who, in the face of unspeakable atrocities, stayed to protect civilians. The resilience of the survivors of the Rwandan genocide inspires admiration and respect. Rest assured that we will never forget and continue to stand with them.

Aerospace Industry

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the government reported to the House in writing that no deal had yet been signed with Bombardier.

Yesterday, the office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development said the deal was sealed by March 24, five days before the company announced a 50% pay hike for its executives. What a coincidence. Now each of these executives will earn more in four days than the average Canadian earns all year long. I guess they will not have to work on Fridays either.

If this agreement actually exists, did it ban Bombardier from using Canadian tax dollars for these outrageous bonuses?

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

Mr. Speaker, the aerospace sector is one of the most innovative and export-driven sectors in Canada. It accounts for more than 200,000 high-quality jobs in Canada and represents over 1% of our gross domestic product. The repayable contribution announced a few months ago will create 1,300 good-quality jobs and maintain 4,000 others.

The long-term competitiveness of our aerospace industry is important to grow our economy and our middle class.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, members of the billionaire Bombardier Beaudoin family have super-voting shares that give them a majority of the votes with a minority of the stocks.

That allows family members to elect themselves to be executives and pay themselves, in the case of Pierre Beaudoin, 10 times the industry average. If the company raised money by issuing shares, they would dilute their votes and lose company control.

Is it not true that the government bailout is really about protecting the feudal privileges of this billionaire family?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government was elected to grow the economy, to grow the middle class, and to help more Canadians join the middle class.

In that context, key investments in the aerospace industry are important. We are going to support that industry, which contributes more than 1% of the total GDP in our country. In this particular case of a reimbursable contribution, it will also help maintain 4,000 jobs and create 1,300 additional new jobs.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, all of this raises a question of how the government defines the middle class.

There is $372 million for Bombardier billionaires; however, everyday Canadians will pay more for gas and groceries, kids sports, Uber rides, beer, and bus passes.

Why is the government taxing more from those who take the bus, so it can give more to those who take limousines?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question from my hon. colleague. I am just afraid that his memory is failing.

The first thing that our government did was to reduce taxes for the middle class. Nine million Canadians are paying less tax. I would guess there are thousands in the member's riding today who are paying less tax because of the government.

We invested in families. We invested in the middle class. We invested in infrastructure. That is what responsible government is doing. That is exactly what we will continue to do.

The Budget

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

Mr. Speaker, may I remind the minister that the first thing the government did was to create a huge deficit? With no plan to return to zero deficit in this country, this is totally unacceptable.

If the government really wants to be nice to Canadian taxpayers, could it tell them the truth for once?

This government was elected by promising small deficits and a balanced budget in 2019.

Could the government tell us when Canada will have a balanced budget?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent is asking me a question.

The first thing we did was cut taxes for the middle class. The reality is that nine million Canadians pays less taxes. In my colleague's riding, in the Quebec City region, thousands of people are paying less tax thanks to our government.

In 2016, we invested in families, the economy, and infrastructure. In 2017, we invested in training and innovation. That is exactly what responsible governments do; they invest in their people. That is what we have done and what we will continue to do.

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

Mr. Speaker, like me, you listened closely to the minister's reply and, like me, you noted that the government cannot tell Canadians when it will balance the budget. That is unacceptable.

The Liberals have no plan for balancing the budget and they are doing very little, if anything, for farmers, those people who feed us and who feed all Canadians. Agriculture is not mentioned in the government's budget document until page 107.

Why has the government turned its back on those who feed Canadians?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. I know members, including the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, are very engaged in this discussion, but I would ask them to restrain themselves until they have the floor.

The hon. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have been in the House a long time and to be able to present as Minister of Agriculture the type of budget our Minister of Finance presented to the House is certainly a credit to our agricultural sector and certainly gives me great pride. There are $950 million to enhance Canada's global competitiveness by focusing on industry, $200 million for clean technology, and $1.26 billion for innovation. What this government has done is made sure that our—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

Status of Women

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister never misses a photo op to proclaim his feminism, his government's credibility does not add up on the world stage. The Prime Minister has given Donald Trump, a misogynist, cover on women's issues, and still defends arms sales to a country that systematically discriminates against women. A report just released says that Canada ranks fourth last on the gender wage gap.

If the Prime Minister really wants to impress his friends at the UN, he should take real action for Canadian women. Will the Liberals implement child care and pay equity legislation now?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague joined me in New York City for the Commission on the Status of Women, with over 200 members of team Canada who proudly waved the Canadian flag. We have a feminist Prime Minister who has helped bring forward the most feminist budget this federal government has ever seen.

There are $100 million devoted to addressing and preventing gender-based violence. There is a commitment to introduce pay equity legislation by 2018. There is a commitment to invest in women and girls entering fields they are not traditionally included in. That is feminism.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister loves to tell everyone how proud he is to be a feminist, but according to the Conference Board of Canada, his government is falling far short when it comes to closing the gender wage gap. Canadian citizens have been waiting years for policies that would help eliminate income inequality between men and women.

The Prime Minister says all the right things to women in New York City, but when will he take action here at home to end this unfairness?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that for decades members of the feminist movement have calling for actions, which this government is taking. We recognize that the majority of caregiving work is provided by women. That is why we have introduced $7 billion for an early learning and childhood framework and to work with provinces and territories to implement it. We recognize that elderly parents and other family members are also cared for by women usually. That is why we have introduced EI benefits that are flexible and provide women with choice.

We have also done a number of other things. I will get back to them the next time I get a question.

Standing Orders of the House of Commons

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister proved our point: he does not need to change the rules in order to answer the opposition's questions. That is his job.

Yet he is still bound and determined to take full control with no regard for our democracy.

Will he stop fooling around and sit down with the opposition for a real conversation so we can get on with formulating unanimous recommendations to improve our parliamentary system?