Debates of May 3rd, 2017

Foreign Affairs

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know just how many vulnerable people there are around the world who need to leave their country and come here because they are victims of discrimination.

That is why we are working to find permanent rather than temporary solutions to welcoming refugees, including refugees from the LGBT community, and helping them find a country where rights are respected and everyone is equal. Here in Canada, we will always stand up alongside other world leaders to strongly advocate for the rights of the LGBT community.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of being a member of the House since 2007. I arrived here at a time when soldiers were talking about the decade of darkness under the previous Liberal government.

As my colleague said earlier, this government sent troops to the heat of the Afghanistan desert with winter clothing. It cut $20 billion in investments that our government had made in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Today, the Prime Minister is spouting yet another delusional political speech filled with alternative facts, suggesting that we did not invest in the Canadian Armed Forces when we most certainly did.

When will the Prime Minister dismiss his Minister of National Defence?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the reality is that for 10 years, the Conservative government underinvested in the Canadian Armed Forces. It did not provide the necessary support to our troops to ensure that they could carry out their duties and serve our country at home and abroad.

That is why I am so proud of the work that the Minister of National Defence and the entire government are doing to ensure that our troops will have the equipment and support that they need.

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

Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber issue is proving hard to resolve on both sides of the border, and now, alternative facts have found their way into Canada.

Shipbuilding alone cost $30 billion, but the government just cut $20 billion over two years. Then it says that it is investing more. That is an alternative fact.

The minister of defence must have credibility with his troops. He must be seen by his brothers in arms as being capable of properly defending our country. He lost their respect by taking credit for the achievements of others.

Will he do the honourable thing and resign?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as we see on a regular basis, the members opposite are always ready to talk about standing up for our soldiers and our troops, but, unfortunately, they do not follow through. For 10 years they were not there for the military and did not provide the equipment and services needed. They talked a lot, but they did nothing.

Together with our minister of defence, who served our country and showed leadership, we are going to give the members of the Canadian Armed Forces the tools they need to serve the country.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is fine and well for the defence minister to stand in here or out in the foyer and read an apology prepared by the Prime Minister, but yesterday he turned his back on Afghan vets when the defence minister refused to attend a fundraiser to support these brave men and women. There is no one more deserving of an apology from the minister than those whose valour he has stolen.

Allowing the minister to sit at the cabinet table sets a very poor example of leadership for our military and for all Canadians. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and ask the defence minister for his resignation?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of nickel-and-diming our veterans, it is important that this government keep standing up for our veterans. That is why I was so proud that the Minister of Veterans Affairs was there last night to represent this government to the Afghan veterans who were at this ceremony and this fundraiser.

The fact is, not only did the Conservatives nickel-and-dime our veterans but they underfunded for 10 years the Canadian Armed Forces, which is why they are so upset that for once, we are turning that around and giving them the tools they need.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, here is an idea. The Prime Minister can actually be an architect and rebuild his cabinet and fire the defence minister.

The Prime Minister's lack of judgment in failing to remove the defence minister is appalling. The defence minister misled Canadians on multiple occasions over the past two years regarding his service record in Afghanistan. His deceit and deception have lost him the respect of our brave men and women in uniform, Canadians, and our allies.

The Prime Minister says he supports the defence minister, so he must know why the defence minister has told this concocted story. Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians why the defence minister fabricated history?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the members opposite continue to try to mislead Canadians and say that they have supported our military for 10 years. Whether it was underfunding services for our veterans or simply not delivering on the equipment, service, and care that our Canadian Armed Forces members require and deserve, the members opposite did not deliver for our armed forces. It is a real shame.

That is why we are so proud that after 10 long years, we are turning it around and giving the tools and support to our veterans and armed forces that they deserve.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister must not have been in this House or in Parliament when the Conservatives were in power, because he seems to have completely missed what actually happened.

General Mike Rouleau made a mistake in Iraq when he accidentally fired his weapon. As a soldier, he insisted on being tried for his mistake. General Rouleau is an example of the righteousness and excellence of our men and women in uniform.

Unfortunately, honour and righteousness vanish as soon as one becomes a Liberal. Not only did the Minister of National Defence take credit for the success of those who fought the Taliban, but he also sullied the memory of those who gave their lives. If he has any self-respect all, he will step down.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Conservatives are spewing empty rhetoric. They did not measure up for our soldiers and military personnel, and they did nothing for our veterans.

Whether in Latvia or Ukraine, in the fight against Daesh, or through the investments that we plan to make, the reality is that we continue to give our soldiers the respect, the tools, and the support they need, not by spewing empty rhetoric, but by meeting our commitments to our soldiers in a meaningful way.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. We must be able to hear the answers, not only the questions.

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, to be told that our words are meaningless is an insult to everyone here. Who cut $12 million in defence spending in the past two years? The Liberal government.

Yesterday, there was a fundraiser for people who fought in Afghanistan. The minister was the guest of honour. Since he might have run in to people who know exactly what he did and especially what he did not do in Afghanistan, the minister chose to avoid them. Is hiding out how Liberals own up to their mistakes?

This is yet another example of why, given the many—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I am very proud of our Minister of Veterans Affairs, who was there to support and represent Afghanistan veterans.

The Minister of National Defence has consistently shown leadership. He recognizes that this government and previous Canadian governments have invested too little in our armed forces for too long and that we need to make adequate investments to strengthen our armed forces so they can better serve Canadians.

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is one thing to apologize, but it is another to change one's behaviour.

When the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner asked the minister of defence about his role in relation to Afghan detainees, he said he was just a reservist. We know that is simply not the case.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and instruct the minister of defence to reconsider what he told the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner?

If indeed the Liberals have nothing to hide, that is the least they can do.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has said that the file is closed and that she is not interested in reopening it.

The fact is that there have been six different investigations into the Afghan detainee issue, one of which is still under way. A former colleague, Stéphane Dion, spent the summer reviewing 40,000 documents. It is interesting that the NDP chose not to participate in that exercise.

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister once said, “I discovered that there was a goldmine of information flowing into [Governor Khalid's] palace.” Diplomat Richard Colvin revealed that in the basement of that palace, the governor of Kandahar was “known to personally torture people in [a] dungeon.”

Can the Prime Minister deny that information like this from the minister who was a liaison with that governor would be relevant to an inquiry, and can he tell Canadians why he is trying to hide this kind of information by blocking an inquiry which he used to favour when he was in opposition?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Armed Forces and, indeed, all Canadians stand firmly against torture.

We agree that transparency on this file was a serious concern under the previous government. As the member knows, all opposition parties were given the opportunity to review 40,000 documents pertaining to this matter. The NDP chose not to participate. We continue to hold that the investigation that is ongoing is going to deliver more information.

We know that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has decided that particular file is closed.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence made a choice to mislead Canadians on multiple occasions about his role in Afghanistan. He was forced to come clean, but only after he got caught misleading. The military has lost all confidence in the minister, but the Prime Minister says he still has confidence in the minister.

Canadians deserve to know how many more times the minister has to mislead Canadians before the Prime Minister will force him to resign.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to misleading Canadians, the member should know that over 10 years, her government underinvested in Canada's military, did not give the care and support necessary to our Canadian Forces to actually deliver on the extraordinary service and leadership they want to offer Canada, both at home and overseas.

That is why I am proud that under the leadership of this Minister of National Defence, we are turning that around. We are going to be giving to the men and women in the Canadian Forces the tools and the care and support they need to deliver on their extraordinary service to Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, one cannot put a price on respect. All Canadians and all military personnel know that when the honour of the Canadian Armed Forces is sullied by a members' actions, that member has committed a serious mistake that deserves to be punished.

The Minister of National Defence voluntarily committed perjury at least twice and would still have us believe that he just made a mistake that can be forgiven with an insincere apology.

If this minister really wants to show the minimum amount of respect that he owes to his former brothers in arms, then what is he waiting for? When will he step down?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to our troops, the members opposite are all talk and no action.

For 10 years, they did nothing to support our veterans or to give our troops the tools they need to do their job, demonstrate leadership, and serve both here in Canada and abroad.

That is why I am so proud of the work that we are doing to invest in our troops.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!