Debates of May 15th, 2017

Ron Atkey

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to mark the passing of the hon. Ron Atkey. Sadly, he died this past Friday.

Ron Atkey was first elected to the House of Commons for the Toronto riding of St. Paul's in the 1972 election as a Progressive Conservative. After being defeated in 1974, he was re-elected in 1979 as part of the Joe Clark minority government, and appointed minister for employment and immigration. Under his and the hon. Flora MacDonald's ministerial leadership, with the backing of the prime minister, Mr. Atkey was instrumental in large numbers of Vietnamese refugees, then known as the boat people, being admitted to Canada.

After accomplishing this great political achievement, Mr. Atkey was defeated in the 1980 election and returned to practise law. From 1984-89, he served as chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

I knew Ron for over 35 years. I know I speak for many friends and colleagues of Mr. Atkey in the House when I say how thankful we are for his many years of dedicated service to Canada.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, including wife Marie, and children Erin Tait, Matthew Atkey, and Jennifer Price. He will be greatly missed.

Family

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to rise to pay tribute to all the hard-working mothers in Ottawa—Vanier and across the country.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, a day to pause and acknowledge the critically important role that mothers play in our lives.

I would also like to point out that May 15 is the International Day of Families.

As this government continues to invest in the rights of women and girls across the globe, I want to acknowledge the important work that Canadian organizations play in helping support families across the globe, with investments in children's education, safe clean drinking water and sanitation, and unwavering support of reproductive health funding.

I am asking all members of the House to join me in recognizing Mother's Day and the International Day of Families.

National Defence

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' plan to overhaul Canada's defence policy is behind schedule and is creating uncertainty for our national security and our military.

We have just learned that the Trump administration will see Canada's new defence policy before Canadians do or, even worse, before the military.

Why is the Prime Minister going to discuss plans for our armed forces with President Trump before discussing them with Canada's military?

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

Mr. Speaker, defence policy was done by and for Canadians. We consulted them extensively, and that is why we want to release our new defence policy to them first. All along, in our defence policy review, we had a range of discussions with our allies, including the U.S. We learned a lot from them, particularly from those who engaged in the same review process in the most recent years. Our defence policy will be costed and fully funded.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I have a hard time believing that this defence minister actually designed and devised this defence policy himself. I know the chamber has not seen it, members of Parliament have not seen it, and the military has not seen it. Now the Prime Minister is meeting in secret with the Americans to get their okay. They know our defence plans before Canadians know them.

Why do Washington insiders get privileged access to Canadian defence policies before the Canadian public does and before the Canadian military does?

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

Mr. Speaker, Canadians across Canada as well as members of Parliament were involved with the consultations. We have spoken with our allies, we have spoken with experts on this, and we have done a thorough process that is fully costed and fully funded.

Justice

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Wynn's law could have literally saved the life of Constable Wynn. When an accused criminal is already facing over 12 other charges and a judge releases him on bail, we have a problem. The system failed, and we need to fix it. This is a common sense fix.

When will the Prime Minister start supporting Wynn's law and start putting the safety of Canadians first?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say again that we have the deepest sympathies for Ms. MacInnis-Wynn and the family of the constable.

We are working diligently in terms of doing an overview of the criminal justice system, including bail reform. That is why, when I met with the provinces and territories, we agreed that one of the priorities in terms of how we move forward in criminal justice is to concretely and collaboratively look at bail reform. We agree with the principle of Wynn's law, or the bill, in terms of ensuring that all relevant information is available at bail hearings.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, once again the Prime Minister is putting the needs of criminals and lawyers ahead of the needs of victims, but gutting Wynn's law is a new low. Wynn's law is not controversial. It is a common sense, simple answer to a real loophole in our system. If an accused wants to be released at a bail hearing, a judge should know whether this individual has a history of being dangerous to Canadians.

Why will the Prime Minister not start standing up for victims instead of criminals?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, again, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including bail reform. That is why, when I met with my colleagues in the provinces and territories, we talked about what we could do to increase confidence in the criminal justice system in protecting victims and increasing public safety. We are moving forward collaboratively.

When the Province of Alberta, after the unfortunate and tragic death of Constable Wynn, put together a report, the report did not, when it came back, provide recommendations that are contained within Bill C-217.

[Rona Ambrose, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that my bill to protect victims of sexual assault passed at committee with all-party support and was reported back to the House by the member for Sarnia—Lambton.

This is about building confidence in our justice system so that more victims of sexual assault feel comfortable reporting and seeking justice. This is something we can all do together to show victims that we believe them.

Will the Prime Minister join me and the leader of the NDP and fast-track this bill to the Senate?

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague across the way for putting forward the private member's bill, which would indeed improve training for lawyers in terms of sexual assault. I was very pleased to see the results at committee, where it was agreed unanimously to put forward three amendments to the current private member's bill, including expanding the sexual context in terms of training.

I look forward to supporting this private member's bill as it proceeds through the House.

Infrastructure

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is all well and good for the minister to keep repeating that the investors, not taxpayers, will be the ones to bear the risks associated with the infrastructure bank, but I highly doubt it.

Large investment companies are—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. It seems that the interpretation is not working.

Is it working now?

[Some hon. members]

Yes.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly can start again.

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it will be better the second time around.

It is all well and good for the minister to keep repeating that the investors, not taxpayers, will be the ones to cover the cost of the investment bank, or should I say the infrastructure bank; hard to know the difference between investment and infrastructure these days. However, we find that hard to believe.

Large investment companies are in business to make a profit. This bank will be paid for by the tolls and user fees that Canadians are going to be charged.

How is spending $35 billion on more user fees and tolls a good investment for Canadians?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud to put forward a very ambitious plan to build and rebuild Canadian infrastructure, to grow our economy, and create jobs for the middle class. We are very proud that the infrastructure bank will allow us to build more of the infrastructure that our communities need as well as free up government resources so we can build more social housing, more shelters, and more recreational and cultural facilities to help those who struggle each and every day to be part of the middle class.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not even answering the basic questions about their infrastructure bank. It is almost as if they are hiding the details from Canadians. I wonder why. Asked several times what happens if a private corporation pulls out of a project, the Liberals refuse to answer.

The infrastructure bank would impose user fees on Canadians to provide profits for corporations, but what if that is not enough for them? Would they be able to pull out of the project, and who would be left on the hook?

Can the Liberals not answer questions?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian pension funds like CPPIB, OMERS, teachers, IMCO, or the Caisse de dépôt invest billions of dollars helping to build infrastructure in other countries. They have been doing that for Australia and they will do it for Latin America.

What is wrong if our own pension plans invest in our own infrastructure to create jobs in our own communities to help grow our own middle class so that people have opportunities?

Public Safety

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, simple questions deserve simple answers. So much for respecting question period.

Recently we have seen several reports of racial profiling at the U.S. border. There is another report today of a family being told not to cross the border in Vermont.

Instead of securing guarantees for Canadians at the border, the public safety minister has suggested that Canadians themselves might be to blame.

What is it going to take for the Liberals to stand up and demand guarantees that Canadians be treated fairly at the U.S. border?

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

Mr. Speaker, everyone crossing the border has the right to be treated fairly and respectfully with consistent professional treatment. If the standards fall below that, in the hands of an American border officer, that failure should in fact be reported so that there is a statistical record of the failure, but I would point out that so far this year the numbers are actually going down, not up.

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, a statistical record does not really help someone who is being dehumanized at the border because of the colour of their skin or their religious beliefs.

The minister keeps repeating that the number of people being turned away at the American border is going down. However, this morning's edition of La Presse is reporting on a family that was turned away at the border and was told by the U.S. consulate in Montreal that profiling has been taking place at certain border crossings.

The minister said that he was given assurances when he met with Secretary Kelly a few weeks ago right here in Ottawa. What good are those assurances?

Will the minister finally stand up and address this issue Canadians are having at the border?

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

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I have already raised this issue with the United States. If there are specific instances that individual travellers want to bring to my attention and want pursued with the American administration, I invite them to do that, and we will follow up.

Infrastructure

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, taxpayers are paying twice for the Liberals' infrastructure bank. There is the $35 billion to set it up, and then the tolls and user fees so private investors get their 7% to 12% profit.

The minister told CBC News that taxpayers will not be on the hook for the infrastructure bank risks, but the legislation clearly states that the minister can make a loan or provide a loan guarantee. Clearly, we are dealing with Liberal math, where loan guarantees have no risk and budgets balance themselves.

Why will the minister not just admit that taxpayers will be on the hook for defaulted loans?