Debates of June 13th, 2017

National Public Service Week

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is National Public Service Week, which is an opportunity to celebrate and thank all our public servants, whose expertise and hard work are unparalleled in the world.

As the member of Parliament for Gatineau, I meet public servants every day who demonstrate dedication and generosity above and beyond their assigned duties. Obviously they serve Canadians from coast to coast to coast, but they also help their neighbours and loved, not only when faced with great challenges, but also when they volunteer for minor soccer or with their local charities.

I have had the honour to be Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement since January, and it has allowed me to witness first-hand the great work our public servants do each and every day.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank them on behalf of all Canadians.

Rolly Marentette

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Rolly Marentette, who passed away on May 24.

Rolly was a champion for the rights of injured workers and the disabled. He was a social justice activist who worked tirelessly to make life better for those in need. He organized the first local recognition ceremony for the International Day of Mourning in Windsor and established a monument to these workers in Reaume Park.

Rolly was a labour and community leader who made a real difference in the lives of so many. His compassion and knowledge grew our community into a more tolerant, fair, and just way. Rolly is missed at our local ceremonies, marches, and community events.

On behalf of residents of Windsor and Essex, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sandra and his family.

Before he passed, Rolly wrote, “One day soon my voice will be silenced. I believe the people in this room can and will continue to be the voice for those of us who can no longer speak.”

He would be proud that today I wear a lapel pin for the House of Commons security staff, because Rolly was about the workplace and the workplace is about ensuring it is good, equal, fair, and safe for all.

Russia

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring attention to yesterday's mass detentions of over 1,500 peaceful protesters in Russia.

Alexei Navalny, an opposition leader and presidential challenger to Putin, was arrested and jailed for 30 days for organizing protests against the Russian Federation, from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. These are the first protests since the March 26 peaceful anti-corruption marches against Putin.

On Russia Day, President Putin has again shut down democracy and prohibited freedom of expression, yet our Prime Minister continues to co-operate with Russia, while ignoring the country's rampant human rights abuses and anti-democratic practices. The Liberal government's appeasement of Putin is a continuation of a policy of cozing up to dictators.

President Reagan once said:

...this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face--that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and it gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight and surrender.

We join the government on this side of the House in calling for the release of Alexei Navalny and Maria Baronova of Open Russia as well. They deserve freedom, democracy, and the protection of their human rights.

Men's Health Week

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about men. As a doctor, I know men well. They often neglect their health. They do not seek medical attention until serious problems develop.

This is Men's Health Week. As a women, it gives me, and indeed all of us women, an opportunity to give them a talking-to. Let us advocate for their better health.

This year's message focuses on spreading men's health awareness to the general public, and to men in particular. Our government supports this awareness message, with a $4 million fund.

Check out dontchangemuch.ca. It celebrates Men's Health Week and Father's Day, allowing family and friends to send e-cards with a health message. It is an easy way to get the message out and help men make the small changes to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I ask the guys to listen up. We care about their health, and that goes for my three sons.

Taxation

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Prime Minister is eager to get out of Ottawa so he can start his summer vacation, but summer vacation is getting more and more expensive for Canadians, thanks to Liberal tax hikes. If one wants to enjoy a nice cold beer, there is a new Liberal tax on that; a refreshing glass of wine, there is a new tax on that. There is even a tax on taking the family to a campsite for the summer. These taxes will go up year after year forever.

Can the Prime Minister tell hard-working Canadians why he does not think they should enjoy their summer vacations just as much as he does?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, as part of my summer plans, I am going to be doing what millions of Canadians will be doing, which will be enjoying Canada's national parks absolutely free of charge. For our 150th birthday, we have given all Canadians free access to our national parks to get them to enjoy the natural beauty of this country.

On taxes, we are proud on this side of the aisle that we have actually lowered taxes on the middle class and raised them on the wealthiest 1%. Quite frankly, it remains a shame that those members opposite voted against raising taxes on the wealthiest 1%.

Public Safety

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we voted against raising taxes on hard-working Canadians, and we will always do that.

As parents get ready for summer, their children's safety is their priority. If a high-risk pedophile lives in their neighbourhood, parents have a right to know, and the Liberals have no right to keep that information from them. Nobody can protect children better than their own parents.

Can the Prime Minister confirm that he will make this information available to parents so they can protect their children this summer?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, protecting children and our communities is a priority for our government, as it has always been for every one of this country's governments regardless of the party in power. We take this responsibility very seriously, and we are working with police agencies to ensure that, if there are criminals or individuals who pose a threat, that information is known and appropriate measures are taken.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, like most parents, my kids will be home from school this summer, and like most parents, I will be encouraging them to get outside and play around the neighbourhood and to stay safe. The Prime Minister can help parents protect their children by sharing information on high-risk child sex offenders living in our neighbourhoods, and not just with the police but with parents themselves, but the Liberals want to hide that information from Canadian parents.

Why is it that the Prime Minister seems to like every single kind of registry except for one that will actually help parents protect their kids?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we know that it is extremely important to protect our communities and our children. We take that extraordinarily seriously, like any government would. We do not pretend that it is not something the Conservatives would do. We would do it as well. However, they put forward proposals that were unfunded and that were not able to be implemented.

We take very seriously giving our police officers and public security officers the necessary tools to keep our families and communities safe, and that is what we will continue to do.

Foreign Investment

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister approves the sale of communications companies to appease the Chinese government, it raises concerns for our allies. Michael Wessel, head of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said that Canada’s approval of the sale of Norsat to a Chinese entity raises significant national security concerns for the United States.

My question for the Prime Minister is simple. What harm would it do to conduct a comprehensive national security review of this transaction?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every transaction of this type is assessed by our national security agencies, and we also consult our allies. I can confirm that we consulted with the United States in this specific case. As a government, we respect and follow the recommendations of our allies and national security agencies on these matters.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is jeopardizing our national security interests, and our allies are taking notice.

Can the Prime Minister explain what is wrong with holding a full, comprehensive national security review? Is he going to do it, yes or no? It is a clear question that deserves a clear answer.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every transaction of this type that falls under the Investment Canada Act is carefully assessed by all national security agencies. On top of that, we do consult with our allies, and in this case, directly consulted with the United States on this situation.

Our national security experts assessed the deal and the technology and concluded that there were no national security concerns. We always follow the advice of our security experts on these matters.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how can the Prime Minister claim that there were no national security concerns when there has been no national security review? That review only takes place when the minister responsible for the statute orders it, and there has been no such order.

Now the Prime Minister is trying to invent a new category of “careful assessment”. Can he please tell us the legal distinction between the national security review provided by statute and a careful assessment that is provided nowhere?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every single transaction of this sort is subject to a national security review. This is a multi-step assessment process, and that process was followed.

We take advice and feedback from our national security agencies very seriously, and based on that advice, we proceeded with this transaction. In this particular case, our security agencies consulted with key allies, including the United States, and I can reassure the member and this House that we will never, ever, compromise on national security.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister just said is demonstrably false. There has not been a national security review. That has to be ordered by the minister, who never ordered it, and we know that because the company put it out in an official statement to try to reassure investors. That is why the Americans are concerned now, because there has never been a national security review.

Does the Prime Minister understand that this is why the Americans are starting to look into this situation? There was no national security review in accordance with the law.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we followed the recommendations of our national security agencies.

The member opposite knows full well that we followed the process, that we exercised due diligence, and that we did our homework.

I would like to remind the member that all transactions are subject to a national security review. In this particular case, I can assure the member that our security agencies consulted with key allies, including the United States. We will never compromise our national security.

Government Appointments

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I imagine the Prime Minister will have no trouble making public what the Americans did say in this case.

The Prime Minister attempted a partisan appointment that led to scandal. The nomination was removed, and now we are proposing a way forward, not to benefit our own party but to increase accountability for all Canadians. We have even offered to amend our proposal in order to address the Liberals' stated concern.

Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to improve the nomination process, because it is important for this House and for all Canadians?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, when we came to office, we did improve the nomination process, which is why we now have 60% of our nominees who are women, over 12% are visible minorities, and over 10—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order, please. the Right Hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the appointments we make are based on merit and reflect the full diversity of this country. We continue to follow processes, which include opportunities for committees to weigh in, which include votes in the House for officers of Parliament and demonstrate the kind of openness and transparency Canadians voted for when they elected this government.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is responsible for the fiasco surrounding Madeleine Meilleur's appointment. If he calls that a success, then I would hate to see what he considers a failure. He has an opportunity to ensure that future nominations are not stained by his attempt to make a partisan appointment.

The NDP has made a proposal to ensure that partisanship is taken out of the equation.

Will the Prime Minister accept our proposal for future appointments or not?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we have a merit-based appointment process in place for choosing the best qualified individuals who reflect the full diversity of our country within this government. We consulted the opposition parties. We held a vote in the House of Commons on officers of Parliament. At each stage we demonstrate how important it is to us to respect the merit-based process for choosing the best people to serve this country.

I thank the members across the way for their interest in this strong and independent process.