House of Commons Hansard #178 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was rcmp.

Topics

Building Trades MonumentStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Rodger Cuzner Liberal Cape Breton—Canso, NS

Mr. Speaker, today I will join the Prime Minister , the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour and hundreds of the country's best tradespeople as they unveil the new monument dedicated to those who have built the foundations of our country.

Canada's building trade unions will be across the canal from this chamber, at Major's Hill Park, to celebrate, in monument, the contribution of the hard-working and devoted men and women who do incredible work day in and day out, as well as to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in doing so.

The monument will stand in the national capital region among some of Canada's most prized architectural achievements, buildings that were constructed by building trades members. It will contain iconic tools of the trade to represent the different skilled trade unions that have helped sponsor the monument.

Our Prime Minister will accept the monument on behalf of the grateful people of Canada.

On this day, let us stand together and celebrate the contributions of the hard-working men and women who have helped build our great country.

Jocelyne HarveyStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC

Mr. Speaker, there are people we meet in life who change the meaning of the word “family”. Today, I would like to pay tribute to one of them, a very special person by the name of Jocelyne Harvey.

The Harvey family is well known in La Malbaie business and equestrian circles, especially the Rodéo de Charlevoix, and is a very tight-knit family. Ms. Harvey is the pillar of that family.

Ms. Harvey is a strong and caring woman who passed on her belief in unity to her family members. Today, Ms. Harvey is very ill and fighting for her life. She is presently reaping the rewards of the unity she instilled in her family. She is surrounded by her loved ones, who are supporting her in this battle.

Ms. Harvey, I feel privileged to have met you. You will always have a special place in my heart. I wish you all the best and send my kindest regards.

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell DayStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Mr. Speaker, today is Glengarry—Prescott—Russell day on the Hill. Organized in partnership with the united counties of Prescott, Russell, and the township of North Glengarry, GPR day aims to showcase the amazing local foods, wine, and beer our great region has to offer.

I know some members want to free the beer, but I challenge them to come drink the beer. Beau's All Natural, Cassel Brewery, Tuque de Broue, and Étienne Brûlé are ready to serve.

Some members are also sommeliers. I invite them to try the wines from Domaine Perrault and Vignoble Clos du Vully.

I am told that cheese should always be served with wine. No problem, as the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative, the Skotidakis farm, and Glengarry Fine Cheese will be serving us their products.

What about those MPs who are vegans? Can they eat cheese? The answer is yes. Fauxmagerie Zengarry offers tasty options for vegans.

I invite all members to enjoy our local products at the reception that will be held immediately after question period in the Commonwealth room.

Birthday WishesStatements By Members

May 16th, 2017 / 2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

Mr. Speaker, when Ellen Gibb was born, Canada was a young nation of seven provinces and Wilfrid Laurier was its prime minister. She has seen 16 more prime ministers come and go since then.

Ellen, who was nicknamed "Dolly" during her teens because of her fashion sense, celebrated her 112th birthday on April 26. According to the organization that tracks the world's supercentenarians, or people who are at least 110 years old, Dolly is Canada's oldest citizen.

Dolly was born Ellen Box in Winnipeg in 1905, where she grew up, married her husband Dave, and they raised two daughters. She spent many years in Thunder Bay and moved to North Bay, Ontario, when she turned 100. She has nine grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren. She likes to enjoy an occasional glass of scotch or wine and a bottle of beer every day.

On behalf of hon. members, I would like to congratulate Dolly, an absolutely super supercentenarian. Here is wishing her many more birthdays.

Human RightsStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, compassion is a value Canada espouses, yet compassion requires courageous action.

The ruthless authoritarian rule of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro has led to the dissolution of democratic institutions, imprisonment of political dissidents, economic collapse, and societal ruin. Canada must stand with the millions of Venezuelans who are fighting for democracy, for freedom, and for liberty. Canada must take courageous action now.

With that, I call upon the Government of Canada to condemn the ruthless authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro and allow for free, open elections. We should follow the lead of the Americans and the EU Parliament and implement targeted sanctions against Venezuelan human rights abusers and put political pressure upon Guayana, Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, changed to query answer and Trinidad and Tobago to stop the practice of blocking action to help Venezuela at the OAS.

Actions speak stronger than words and it is up to the Liberal government to take courageous action today.

Human RightsStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Levitt Liberal York Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, in September 2015, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López was sentenced to 14 years on politically motivated charges. Today, his wife and mother, Lilian Tintori and Antonieta Mendoza de López, are in Ottawa to speak about his plight, a fate shared by far too many.

López is held in a military prison by a regime that treats the democratically elected political opposition as criminals. Intimidation and repression are the tragic norm. Freedoms are denied. Venezuelans have been failed by the Maduro government. Protesters, including children and seniors, have been met by extreme and excessive violence.

On April 3, Canada co-sponsored an OAS resolution once again calling again on Venezuela to restore constitutional order and uphold its international commitments to democracy and human rights.

I ask all members of the House to join me in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Leopoldo López, and put an end to the ongoing repression of human rights in Venezuela.

Food LabellingStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, as you know, I am the sponsor of a very important private member's bill that deserves the attention of all my colleagues.

I am sponsoring a bill that responds to an oft-repeated request by a vast majority of Canadians. Rarely do issues achieve such consensus among our constituents. I am talking about mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods.

In recent public opinion surveys, 80% of Canadians said they wanted to know if their food contained GMOs. There is no reason to refuse them this information. That is why I have a bill to do just that, and it is up for a vote tomorrow evening.

If the House truly represents Canadians, it should easily pass second reading. If my bill is defeated, then it will be clear that a majority of MPs put corporate interests before 80% of concerned citizens. This would be a failure of our democracy.

I ask all members of the House to put the interests of their constituents ahead of those of Monsanto. Canadians have a right to know.

Canadians have the right to know. I would like my colleagues to support my bill.

Member for Sturgeon River—ParklandStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON

Mr. Speaker, I remember clearly the day the member for Sturgeon River—Parkland was elected as the interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. She said that we would be the best opposition party that Canada has ever seen, but we have an obligation to hold the government to account, to ask the tough questions, and be a voice for the taxpayers. She has done all that and more with extraordinary ability, integrity, knowledge and understanding.

Our party is strong, incredibly united, and our interim leader has made us all a part of it. She has listened to the concerns of Canadians, whether it is something local like the Arva Flour Mill in my rural riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, or of international importance, such as standing up for our Canadian troops at home and abroad.

She works incredibly hard and she inspires us. Both she and J.P. have made it such an enjoyable trip for us and those we hold dear. She is a champion in our eyes and those of all Canadians. We thank her, and may God bless.

CancerStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON

Mr. Speaker, Gilda Radner once said that having cancer gave her membership in an elite club she would rather not belong to. We all know friends and family who have had membership in that club. I have lost uncles. My wife lost her mom. For years since, Amy has run a health-promoting supper program at Gilda's Club Greater Toronto, an organization dedicated to the idea that no one should face cancer alone.

Others, like Dr. John Dick, are working to ensure that fewer of us face cancer, and that those of us who do will face it successfully. Dr. Dick is well known for his pioneering research as the first scientist to identify cancer stem cells. Among many titles, he is the Canada research chair in stem cell biology, a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto, and a senior scientist with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. He is also the recent recipient of the Gold Leaf Prize for Discovery from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

To Dr. Dick from Beaches—East York and to all recipients of the inaugural Gold Leaf Prize, we thank them for their work.

National Energy BoardOral Questions

2:15 p.m.

Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government released a report on the future of the National Energy Board. It is the second report in a month, and surprise, surprise, it recommends something completely different. This is creating even more uncertainty in the oil and gas sector and there is a lot at stake. Any changes the Prime Minister makes will affect thousands and thousands of families.

When is the Prime Minister going to stop interfering in the independent National Energy Board process and let it do its job so projects can get approved and people can get to work?

National Energy BoardOral Questions

2:15 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, in order to move forward on projects of import to our economy and to our future, Canadians have to have confidence in both the process and in the government. That is why for 10 years under the previous government, Canadians had no confidence, because the Conservatives refused to understand that we need to build a strong economy while protecting the environment at the same time.

Over the past year and a half, we have worked very hard to demonstrate how serious we are about both protecting the environment and creating jobs and growing the economy. We will continue to do that in a way that demonstrates our respect for Canadians and get the confidence of Canadians.

National Energy BoardOral Questions

2:15 p.m.

Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about confidence, because the Prime Minister's latest report recommends that the National Energy Board headquarters be moved from Calgary to Ottawa. Why? Does the Prime Minister not have confidence in Calgarians to do the job? This is supposed to be an independent group of people. The farther away from Ottawa and politicians it is, the better.

Can the Prime Minister understand why this is such an insult to western Canadians? Will he commit to leaving the National Energy Board headquarters in Calgary on the front lines and not burying it in some government department in Ottawa?

National Energy BoardOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I find it a little bit much that the member and that party are talking about meddling with independent processes around the National Energy Board. The fact is that party when in government chose to politicize the National Energy Board in its decisions. It torqued and stacked the deck in so many ways that Canadians have lost confidence in the regulatory frame and withdrew support for building energy projects.

That is why we have worked so hard to restore that confidence, to demonstrate that we are both protecting the environment and building a strong economy at the same time. This government is getting it done when the previous government did not.

Oil and Gas IndustryOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has talked about phasing out the oil sands and now we know how he plans to do it. He is going to slowly but surely kill it with red tape. Everything he does is making it harder and harder for energy companies to create jobs. Business investment is at an all-time low and this is at a time when the U.S. is unleashing the oil and gas sector in the United States.

Can the Prime Minister not see that the decisions he is making are costing Canadian workers their jobs?

Oil and Gas IndustryOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years Canada saw a government that refused to accept that building a strong economy goes hand in hand in the 21st century with protecting the environment. We know that investing in a responsible approach to the environment is not just going to protect our world for future generations, but it is going to create the kind of good jobs, clean jobs, that this generation and next generations are going to need.

We know that the way to grow the economy is to demonstrate both the economy and the environment going together. That is what Canadians elected us to do. That is what we are going to continue to deliver on.

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Prime Minister is under investigation by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. We know that the Ethics Commissioner will retire before the investigation has been completed and that the Prime Minister has to appoint her successor. This is a clear conflict and so is asking the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons to make the appointment in his place.

This is one of the most important non-partisan appointments that the Prime Minister will make. Does he understand that his party and his caucus cannot be involved in this process?

Government AppointmentsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, after having a Conservative government that mishandled the appointment process for 10 years and made nothing but partisan choices, we are proud of the independent process we put in place in order to have merit-based appointments that reflect Canada's diversity.

We will continue to select people of the highest calibre to carry out the duties of this government in Canada. That is what Canadians expect and that is what they voted for.

EthicsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Sturgeon River—Parkland Alberta

Conservative

Rona Ambrose ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, this is likely my last question for the Prime Minister, so I am going to make him an offer. I will call off the attack dogs and nobody on this side will ask the question 18 more times. I think that sounds like a pretty fair deal, so let us end this with a real answer.

Has he met with the Ethics Commissioner, yes or no, and if yes, how many times?

EthicsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect every member of this House to co-operate with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. The commissioner has stated at committee, and to my office, that she does not want us discussing the process. However, I can answer the member by saying that in all my years as a parliamentarian, I have met a number of times with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner at both formal and informal occasions. I can assure Canadians that when this—

EthicsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

How many times? How many times? How many—

EthicsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order. If members wish to chant, they can do so outside.

The hon. member for Outremont.

EthicsOral Questions

2:20 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's explanation of his now infamous vacation is so full of holes and contradictions it is starting to sound like a White House press briefing.

Let me recap. The Prime Minister broke the law by taking a private helicopter to the island. He defended this by saying that it was simply a family vacation with a family friend, along with a few senior Liberals. However, now we learn that the island does not actually belong to the family friend.

Will the Prime Minister finally own up to this entire mess and admit that he should never have taken that exclusive holiday?

EthicsOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, this was a personal family vacation with a long-time friend. I am happy to work with the Ethics Commissioner to answer any questions she may have. That is what Canadians expect of any parliamentarian, and that is exactly what I am doing.

I am confident that Canadians will see at the end of this process that we collaborated and co-operated with the Ethics Commissioner every step of the way, on any question that she might have.

EthicsOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, there is a small problem because the Prime Minister told Canadians that the Aga Khan's private helicopter was the only way to get to the island. However, not only did the helicopter not belong to the Aga Khan, but that is also not the only way of getting to the island.

Will the Prime Minister at least admit that his statement was untrue?

EthicsOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, in this institution, we have a conflict of interest and ethics commissioner who is responsible for considering such issues. I am confident that, at the end of the process, Canadians will see that my government, my office, and I co-operated with the Ethics Commissioner and answered any questions she had.