Debates of June 14th, 2017

Concurrence in Vote 1—Privy Council Office

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, as we continue to appoint new senators to the chamber, based on merit, ability, and a track record of working hard for Canadians, we are going to see a much more productive and effective Senate.

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Madam Speaker, since we are talking about gender parity, the minister indicated earlier that she would be moving toward increasing gender equity in this place. However, I did not hear any concrete suggestions as to how that was going to move forward, so I was wondering if the parliamentary secretary could perhaps elaborate.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, a fundamental hallmark of the DNA of our government is the goal of achieving gender parity in all our democratic institutions. It can be taken for granted as written into all our objectives.

As I already mentioned, we are on track for gender parity in the Senate. We have been appointing more women to the Senate, so this is a goal we are going to achieve before too much longer.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Madam Speaker, I enjoy talking about the Senate, because I think the Senate has an incredible value in our country, especially in its current form, where members are there as members who provide sober second thought. Sobriety does not refer to alcohol. The sober caucus, on that basis, may not have official party status. It is about not having to worry about what they are going to do at the end of their careers, so their decisions can be objective. Therefore, being elected or having their terms limited would completely eliminate any value of the Senate, in my opinion. I wonder if the member agrees with that assessment.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the excellent question and the insightful observation. At the heart of this merit-based appointment process is that we are welcoming more senators into the chamber who come with a wealth of life experience, professional experience, and experience serving Canadians. I agree; the clarity that comes with not needing to consider what comes next allows for a singleness of purpose in the work at hand, which will make the other place stronger over time.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Madam Speaker, I heard the opening comments from my colleague across the way about how great the new Senate process has been for the Liberals. Then I thought to myself that it was interesting, because the Prime Minister is going to be forced to prorogue at some point this summer, because the so-called independent senators are gathering as a united party of united independents in the Senate, which means that they are going to have their own agenda. They are seeking committee chairmanships and committee placements. The only way those things can actually be done in the current system is through prorogation.

We have had numerous pieces of legislation come back to this House that the government has actually ignored. The government is hailing its new appointment process and is putting it out there as a spectacle for Canadians to buy. However, the government is not listening to any of the advice the senators have sent.

We are not sure if Bill C-4 is going to come back to the House a third time or if the Senate is actually going to pass it or accept the recommendations from the House. We now know that a budget bill, a confidence bill, has been split in the Senate. I have been here a long time, and I have never seen anything like this before.

The Liberal government on the other side is all about announcements, fuzzy good feelings, photo ops, and headlines, with no thought of the long-term consequences of the actions it is taking.

I would like my hon. colleague to stand up and say whether he and the rest of his colleagues will be accepting the amendments that come from the Senate on future legislation. Otherwise, the whole process is nothing more than a sham.

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, that is a curious characterization. This House has accepted amendments from the other place on numerous occasions and will continue to do so when those amendments are helpful to Canadians. Bill C-6 and Bill C-14, medical assistance in dying, are great examples.

The rest of what the member was speculating on is just that, speculation. Let us keep the conversation in the House today to facts and the work we are actually doing, and that is putting qualified senators in that place and working with them to further the interests of Canadians and the legislation in this House.

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Madam Speaker, I did not quite get the answer I was looking for from the member. It seems to me that the questions on gender equity in the House are all about blaming women for not coming forward, but it is political parties that are blocking nominations.

I wonder if I can ask for a concrete answer to my question. What are the Liberals going to be doing to make sure there are more women in the House after the next election?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, as I have already said, gender parity is fundamental to our goals for all the democratic institutions in Canada. We are converging on that goal in a number of ways.

We look forward to working with all members of the House who are interested in sorting out how we can always do better. I would love to have constructive, forward-looking conversations in that regard.

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

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise this evening.

There is a lot of talk about parity between men and women. I would like to know what my colleague thinks about parity between francophones and anglophones.

Will it one day be achieved on that side of the House?

[Andy Fillmore, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Madam Speaker, as we enter into and start to use this new merit-based appointment process, we must also remember that this is a process that also results in geographic diversity. This process allows plenty of room to accommodate diversity in all its forms.

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this evening to debate the estimates process and the main estimates. Too often Canadians probably have their eyes glaze over, and I am sure some parliamentarians' eyes glaze over when we talk about the estimates.

The estimates are the foundational role that Parliament plays in this place. The business of supply or withholding supply is a fundamental purpose of this place, one that dates back many generations before the House was established to our forbearer in the United Kingdom. It was at Runnymeade in 1215 with the great Magna Carta that the power of the purse, and the supremacy of Parliament in the business of the supply process were fundamentally established.

Fundamentally speaking, the government ought not and should not spend a dime of taxpayers' money without the approval of this place, yet time and time again, we see the Liberal government abusing the very supply process which we are debating tonight.

In fact, just a couple of nights ago we were in this place debating the Salaries Act, a standalone piece of legislation to give pay raises to certain Liberal ministers. When the Prime Minister tried to establish a gender equal cabinet, he forgot he was giving his female junior ministers a lower salary than their male colleagues, so he decided to introduce the Salaries Act. It was a conscious decision by the government to introduce a piece of legislation to increase the wages of certain ministers, certainly something that is well within the right of the government to do.

The Liberals forgot something. They forgot that this piece of legislation has not yet been passed by the House. It has not been passed by the other place either. Instead of passing the legislation, the Liberals decided to abuse the supply and estimates process. It did not go unnoticed by members of this place or the other place.

The Senate Committee on National Finance reported, in its 13th report in March 2017, its grave concern of the abuse by the Liberal government of the estimates process. The report stated, “Senators and Treasury Board officials also discussed the larger issues of parliamentary authorities and approval, and the proper usage of the supply process.”

The report went on to say:

However, the Supplementary Estimates are not intended to be a convenient mechanism for the temporary funding of needs that were foreseeable and could have been planned, particularly in the case where such needs have their own source of authority in an Act of Parliament. The Salaries Act for ministers, like the Parliament of Canada Act for MPs and Senators, authorizes the payment of ministers’ salaries out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and also fixes the amounts of those salaries.

In direct notice in speaking to the government of the day, the committee stated:

Our committee is concerned about the recurrent practice of using supplementary estimates to pay certain ministers' salaries prior to the enactment of amendments to the Salaries Act, and raises this question in the context of Bill C-24.

The member from Halifax was just talking about the new independent senators in the other place. This report included independent senators, members of the other place, who expressed grave concerns about the abuse of the estimates process. We are seeing this tonight as we debate the main estimates. Rather, they encourage the Liberal government to fundamentally follow the rules of this place and the other place.

Citing Debates of March 25, 1981, the other place recommends, “A supply item ought not to be used to obtain authority which is the subject of legislation.” However, in at least two occasions, we have had estimates come through the House using the estimates process in place of a piece of legislation.

It cites paragraph 937, “The government may not use an appropriation act to obtain authority it does not have under existing legislation.” It goes on to cite Beauschene's Parliamentary Rules and Forms of the House of Commons of Canada, which cites those statements. Of course, we are all big fans of Beauchesne's sixth edition in this House. Particularly around this side of the House, we are very proud of the great insight we have from Beauchesne's co-editor, Mr. John Holtby, a distinguished member of our team who is always providing us with great insight into the rules of this place. Certainly, the estimates is one of those issues.

Therefore, we have a process, and it is one that has unfortunately been abused on these issues by the government across the way. Too often, the members on the other side forget that, in fact, they are not members of the government; that only members of the cabinet serve as members of the government. Each and every Liberal MP who does not serve in the government is a member of Parliament first. Those members may sit as Liberal MPs, but they are not members of the government. Fundamentally, we need to remember in this place that we are members of Parliament first, and it is our duty to this place to properly undertake the review of the estimates process.

When I was reading through the estimates process, I was intrigued by some of the issues that are being recommended and encouraged. I happened to turn to page 228 of the main estimates, dealing with PPP Canada, Public–Private Partnership Canada. It is intriguing that in 2015-2016, there was no money spent for investments; again in 2016-2017 there was $267,700,000 allocated; and again in this current main estimates $267,700,000. Is the government planning to go forward continuing to fund PPP Canada? We do not know.

In fact, we do not even know what is going to happen to the infrastructure bank. As we speak in this place, the other place is debating the infrastructure bank. Indeed, the government could have used the provisions through PPP Canada where it has money, where, tonight, we will be voting on $267 million for PPP Canada. We could get that money out the door, enhance public–private partnerships, and reduce the risk on the taxpayer. That money is in the main estimates, and yet, in the other place, they are debating splitting it out. Indeed, just hours ago, the hon. Joseph Day, the leader of the Liberal caucus in the Senate, gave an impassioned speech in the other place about this very issue.

I want to quote from the blues: “The analogy that occurred to me as I read the bill is that Bill C-44 is like one of those Ukrainian dolls. You open up the first doll and there is another doll inside it, and you open up the second doll and there is another doll, and you keep going and peeling off the onion skins. As you open one, another one is revealed underneath and under that another and another and another. But while that may be fun as a doll, it is absolutely no way to present legislation for proper study.”

That is coming from a Liberal senator. I know the member from Halifax was just speaking about what he called the improved Senate, the improved process. This is one of the Liberal senators who is concerned about this. Of course, another issue that we see coming forward is the issue of an automatic escalator in taxation. In the other place, again, Senator Joseph Day, the leader of the Senate Liberals, said:

The “effectiveness” of the taxes. How much is raised, I would suspect is the effectiveness. Those are the words of the government official, not mine. Colleagues, that is certainly a rationale for government coming forward in a budget bill and asking to increase the applicable exercise tax rate, but I fail to see how it is a rationale for allowing future rate hikes without parliamentary scrutiny or approval. When the officials were asked for precedents for such an extraordinary provision, they pointed to the tax brackets for personal income taxes, which rise automatically with inflation. But, colleagues, that indexation works to taxpayers' advantage. If a tax bracket goes up because of inflation, we pay less tax. That is nothing like the automatic excise tax increase.

Indeed, in the budget bill that is being debated in the other place right now, there is an automatic tax increase without ever again having the approval of this place or the other place. It is fundamentally contrary to some of the basic principles of the power of the purse in this place, and it shows the degree of respect that the government has lost for members of Parliament.

If we look back in the not too distant Canadian history, in the 1970s, granted it was well before I was born, but in the recent past of Parliament, in 1975, that great Liberal, Senator Joseph Day, said that parliamentarians felt they needed more time to debate the borrowing itself. In 1975, the borrowing authority was broken out of the supply process, and set up in its own dedicated process.

In 1975, the Speaker in this place ordered a borrowing clause struck from the supply bill related to supplementary estimates on the ground that under the House of Commons rules then established, its inclusion in the supply bill virtually precluded discussion of the borrowing provisions. After that, every year the government would have to come to Parliament and request, in a borrowing authority bill, the authority to borrow a stated amount of money for that year.

This is a fundamental power of this place and too often, we forget that. It was not too long ago as a perfect example of the disrespect that the government has for this place, the recent botched, boggled, failed appointment of Madeleine Meilleur as Commissioner of Official Languages. Fundamentally, Parliament was not involved in that process. Members of this place were not involved in that process. They were not consulted, they were simply told in a letter dated nearly a month after Ms. Meilleur was informed she would be the successful candidate. That is not consultation. Officers of this place ought to be chosen with fundamental consultation by members of this place.

The estimates process, the business of supply gives us the opportunity to pass judgment on the continued confidence of the government in office. The confidence convention means that cabinet, in this case the Liberal cabinet, is accountable to the House, and confidence can be withdrawn by a number of provisions including the supply process, including a vote on main or supplementary estimates. In this case, our opposition does not have confidence in the government, and we will be voting against the estimates because of that lack of confidence.

I wish to highlight one matter in particular. It is our national debt and ongoing deficit spending. We all vividly recall in the last election the then leader of the third party, now the Prime Minister, promising Canadians, giving them his solemn word, that he would run tiny $10 billion deficits for three years, and only three years, but by 2019, in time for the next election, we would be back to balanced budgets. That quickly went out the window with the very first budget of the Minister of Finance. Now, over the next number of years, we will see continued deficit spending. In fact, the Department of Finance's own numbers show we will not return to balanced budgets until 2055.

Let me put that in context. My son Bennett just turned one on June 1. By the time the budget is balanced, Bennet will be 39 years old. He will be older than I am now, and that is pretty old. My daughter Ainsley, is about three years old. She will be 41 by the time the budget is balanced. We are putting the debt, the spending and the mismanagement of the Liberal government on our children's generation. It is unacceptable that by 2055, we will have $1.5 trillion in total debt, debt that will be paid back through the continued interest charges of future generations.

It is completely unacceptable that the government has given no plan for the return to balanced budgets. Our friend and colleague, the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, the finance critic, asks the Minister of Finance on a very regular basis, when will we return to balanced budgets. Each and every time, the Minister of Finance waffles and fails to answer the question.

My constituents were hurt In my riding of Perth—Wellington. They are hard-working Canadians. They balance their chequebook each month. Small businesses balance their books each month. However, each and every month they find it harder and harder to continue to survive in their businesses because of the concerns and the issues being placed on them by federal Liberal government and the Liberal government in Ontario.

I spoke to one business owner not too long ago whose hydro bill tripled in the time that the McGuinty-Wynne Liberal were in office provincially. Now we are seeing at federal level the imposition of a carbon tax, which will only see the cost of running a business increase. It is not just businesses that are seeing their costs increase. Families are seeing their dollars stretched further and further each week because of the Liberal government.

I recall the very first bill brought before the House, Bill C-2, which was what the Liberals called a middle-class tax cut. No one making under $44,000 a year got a cent out of that tax cut. In fact, those making between $100,000 and $200,000 were getting the biggest tax cuts out of that, but those making under $44,000 got nothing, not a dime.

In the first budget, the Liberals took away the fitness tax credit. They took away the arts tax credit for families that decided to put their children in arts programs or in fitness activities to improve their health. They got rid of the text book and education tax credit. I was at Carleton University earlier today, talking with current students and former students, and the importance of fundamentally helping our young people survive. Again, the Liberals are making it harder and harder for Canadians to get by.

I want to speak to home ownership for a minute and the changes the Liberals have been placing on the burdens of buying a home for the first time. We should be encouraging and helping Canadians buy their first homes. A strong society encourages home ownership, encourages Canadians to buy that first home rather than discouraging them from doing so, as we are seeing in the recent changes.

I want to close on where I started, and that is about the fundamental importance of the supply process and the estimates process. This process belongs to the House, belongs to Parliament, the power of the purse, the ability for parliamentarians, each and every member of Parliament, whether they are government MPs or not. This is our opportunity to pass judgment on the confidence we have in the government.

I have no confidence in the government, and I will be voting against the main estimates when they come to a vote later this evening.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member for Perth—Wellington. For the record, it is great to make speeches in this place, but for heaven's sake, let them have at least some semblance of reality.

The member talked about this government going into deficit, and I admit we are. Any business that is going to do anything and remain in business has to invest in the future and innovation. It has to make that investment so it is efficient and productive in the future.

I want to come back to what the member said about the debt. Let us look at some reality.

In 1984, after the Pierre Elliott Trudeau years, the debt of our country was $135 billion. In 1994, after the Mulroney years, a Conservative government, the debt was $478 billion. Conservatives have very seldom ever balanced the books. Liberals always have dealt with the tough decisions to balance the books. It went up a little bit, after the Chrétien-Martin years, but there were eight surpluses and they paid down some of the debt over those years. Then of course there was the Harper government. It added another $170 billion to the debt.

The Conservatives should look at the reality, look at the figures. It is the Conservative Party that has always driven our country into debt. Why we are moving with some deficit—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

We are in a 10-minute question and comment time, but we do have to leave some time for other members.

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

Mr. Speaker, I can debate this issue all night long if the member for Malpeque wants to do so.

He talked about having some semblance of reality. He cited a business investing in its future. Any business investing in its future would pay off its debts in order to survive and continue to be in business. No business can constantly spend more than it takes in on a regular basis. That is what is happening with the government.

I have to remind the member for Malpeque, because he was in this place in the previous Parliament, that the Conservative government paid off $30 billion prior to the greatest global fiscal recession since the Great Depression.

For two years, a year earlier, under the leadership of the Hon. Jim Flaherty, we saw a return to a balanced budget. We committed to that in the 2011 election, and we returned a balanced budget a year early, which the Liberal government has no commitment to doing so until 2055.

[Mike Bossio, Liberal, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, since we are on the topic of deficits, our government believes in making strategic investments in our country so we can become more productive and move more people into the middle class and those working so hard to get there.

We are investing $184 billion in infrastructure and innovation. The Canada child benefit puts $5.9 million monthly into my riding, assisting 17,000 children. It is being spent locally to benefit the economic development of my riding.

This has now generated growth. Every month it is being estimated to be higher and higher. It is now up to a 3.5% growth rate, a rate our country has not seen in all the years Harper was in power.

We will get back into a surplus position, as every Liberal government has done in the past. Before the Conservatives get their hands on it again, how may years will it before we are back into a deficit position?

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

Mr. Speaker, one thing is for sure. It will be much before 2055 that we will return the budget to balance. In fact, our leader has committed to two years from the time of the next election. I look forward to that time.

Let us talk about the record of the former Conservative government. We had the strongest job creation in the G7, coming out of the largest global recession since the Great Depression; 1.3 million net new jobs under the strong leadership of Minister Flaherty and the prime minister. Most of those jobs were full-time private sector jobs, not government jobs, which members across the way seem to enjoy creating through government coffers.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. It was very good. I also listened to what the members across the way were saying.

After 18 months in government, it is time to stop pointing fingers and start taking charge.

When the government creates jobs, or used to create jobs, it was for the middle class. Has my colleague noticed that the government is giving the plum jobs to Liberal cronies?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague the hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix for her question. I also want to thank her for the work she does with me at the Standing Committee on Official Languages and for her good work on denouncing the appointment of a partisan Liberal to the position of commissioner of official languages.

She asked about middle-class jobs. I think all members of the House would like to see strong, middle-class jobs.

I recently met with a local business person of a very innovative robotics company in my riding. He would like to see the government get out of the way of his business. He is a true innovator. He talked about having an innovative culture within his business. We need that to create strong middle-class jobs, to enable and encourage that innovative culture, not the Liberal government spending money, throwing it out the window hoping it will stick somewhere, spending it on government bureaucrats. That is not what we do to create innovation. We spend it wisely, but more important, we get out of the way of private innovators and allow them to do what they do best, which is create jobs, innovate for the future, and innovate for the new economy.

[David Graham, Liberal, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing rich about the record of the Conservatives is their description of it.

In over a century, the Conservatives have never managed to take us from a deficit to a surplus. I am getting tired of hearing that lecture. Virtually all the debt we have in the country, by percentage, is from them. They cannot manage their way out of a Tim Hortons.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will take my direction from a Tim Hortons and a grocery store, not from the cocktail circuit like the members across the way, to paraphrase our new leader, the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.

Let me remind the hon. member. He was not a member here, and neither was I, but it was under the strong stewardship of Joe Oliver, and before him, Jim Flaherty, that we saw a return to balanced budget under Prime Minister Harper a year early. We saw it the second year in a row. Unfortunately, because of the government's spending like a drunken sailor in the last month of the fiscal year, it turned a Conservative budgetary surplus into a deficit.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently and would like to ask my hon. colleague if he can think of any examples where the Prime Minister and the Liberal government have actually kept a promise. The norm in the House, and in Canada, is the Liberals say one thing and do something else. I could spend hours giving examples. Could he think of any examples where the Prime Minister has kept his promise, other than the marijuana legislation?

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

Mr. Speaker, I can think of one. He did say he was going to do appointments differently. It is certainly different when he appoints a long-time Liberal donor to be an independent officer of this place.

The member for Langley—Aldergrove serves as our opposition critic for seniors. The Liberal government has failed to appoint a minister for seniors. Our former minister, the member for Richmond Centre, did an exceptional job serving seniors. They are the fastest growing demographic, a demographic that has unique needs. The Liberal government has failed to have a person at the cabinet table dedicated to representing seniors in Canada.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I had prepared a nice speech, but it is kind of off topic. That being said, I want to start by saying that if irony were water, the House would be flooded. I am truly stunned by our opposition colleagues' comments. Their memory seems to fail them. Regardless, I will now deliver my prepared speech because that is what I have before me.

I would like to take the opportunity this evening to identify some of the outstanding Canadians that our reformed Senate appointments process has produced.

Since taking office in 2015, our government has appointed 27 Canadians to the red chamber who come from diverse backgrounds in law, community activism, the arts, journalism, environmentalism, and public service. This evening, I would like to identify a few of these individuals to illustrate the diversity of viewpoints that our appointments process has brought to the Senate.

The Hon. Gwen Boniface, appointed to the Senate on November 10, 2016, is one of Canada's trail-blazing female police officers. Senator Boniface earned a bachelor of arts from York University in 1982, after which she completed her bachelor of laws degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1988. She entered into the Ontario Provincial Police, first in 1977 as a constable, then worked as superintendent-director responsible for first nations and contract policing and as chief superintendent regional commander for western Ontario, before becoming commissioner of the OPP in 1998.

Boniface was the first woman to be named commissioner of the OPP, serving from 1998 to 2006. After stepping down as commissioner, Senator Boniface worked with Ireland's Garda Síochána, the United Nations police division, and the United Nations counterterrorism integrated task force.

Senator Boniface has worked tirelessly to repair relationships with first nation communities, initiating many reforms to promote aboriginal policing. As a consultant on policing and justice issues, both internationally and domestically, she provided services to universities, municipalities, government, and non-profit organizations in the areas of human rights, policing, and justice. Finally, Senator Boniface was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2001 in recognition of her service for the province and her work with first nations communities. She also received the United Nations peacekeeping medal and was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Nipissing University in 2006.

Senator Boniface's record of work to improve the standing of marginalized groups in policing and her title of first female commissioner of the OPP certainly made her a worthy appointment to the red chamber, where she will be empowered to continue the work she has done for Canadians during her lifetime.

Another very good appointment, Senator Wanda Bernard, comes from a very different background, though the work she has done over the course of her lifetime is no less impressive. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Senator Bernard has devoted her life to social work and community activism. She has been a professor at Dalhousie University's school of social work, where she has been the director for a decade. Upon receiving a full professorship, Senator Bernard became the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenured position.

Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard has worked with provincial organizations to bring diversity to the political process in Nova Scotia and teach community members about Canada's legislative process and citizen engagement. She is a founding member of the Association of Black Social Workers, which helps address the needs of marginalized citizens, especially those of African descent. She has served in an advisory capacity to ministers, helping them craft frameworks for gendered violence and health equity. She has also served as an expert witness in human rights cases and has presented at many local, national, and international forums.

Senator Bernard has received both the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada, among other awards, for her community service. Senator Bernard was appointed to the Senate in November 2016, where she will bring her perspective to Parliament and have the opportunity give a voice to marginalized Canadians in the country's highest institution.

I would like to, now, bring members' attention to the appointment of another unique but equally deserving Canadian to the red chamber. Senator René Cormier is a proud Acadian and community leader from New Brunswick. He has a strong background in the arts, earning a degree in music from the Université du Québec à Montréal and in theatre from L'École Internationale Jacques LeCoq in Paris.

Mr. Cormier has worked in a variety of roles over the past 40 years, as he has advanced arts and culture in Acadian and Canadian society. His resumé includes positions at Radio-Canada, artistic and general direction in theatres, and management of the États généraux on Arts and Culture in Acadian Society in New Brunswick within the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Additionally, Senator Cormier has sat on a number of boards of directors, including that of TV5 Québec Canada, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, and the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival. Beyond his interest in the arts, Senator Cormier has advanced the interests of Acadians through his work with La Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick both within Canada and internationally. Senator Cormier has been the recipient of numerous awards, both related to the arts and to community engagement. His appointment to the Senate will certainly bring greater character and diversity to our upper house.

Another remarkable Canadian, Senator André Pratte, was one of the government's first appointments to the red chamber in April 2016. A distinguished journalist, author, and proud Quebecker, Senator Pratte's experience in the media and advocacy for Quebec bring a distinct perspective to the red chamber.

Senator Pratte worked for 35 years as a journalist, and from 2001 to 2015 was the editor-in-chief of La Presse, Montreal's largest circulation newspaper. In 2007, 2008, and 2010, he won the editorial category of the National Newspaper Awards. Pratte has voiced his support for federalism in Quebec, defending the position of his newspaper.

Along with Lucien Bouchard and 10 other Quebeckers, Pratte signed the 2005 manifesto entitled “Pour un Québec lucide”, outlining a vision for Quebec within Canada. In 2009, Senator Pratte created The Federal Idea, a non-partisan think tank devoted to studying federalism and the place of Quebec in Canada. In addition to his public advocacy and journalistic career, Pratte has published eight books, his most recent being a biography of Wilfred Laurier published in 2011.

As an accomplished Canadian and distinguished Quebecker committed to federalism, Senator Pratte will be able to contribute to the Senate in the future as a place of diverse perspectives and ideas.

The next senator I would like to bring to the attention of the house is Senator Rosa Galvez of Quebec. Born in a hemisphere away in Peru, Senator Galvez earned both a master's of science and a Ph.D. in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering from McGill University.

Senator Galvez is one of Canada's leading researchers on the effects of pollution, specializing in water and soil decontamination, waste management and residues, and environmental impact and risk assessment. She has worked in the private and public sector, offering advice and consultation to companies and communities. After the rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Senator Galvez carried out a study on the environmental impact of the spill.

Senator Galvez has also done work internationally in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, and Engineers Without Borders, and has been a professor at Laval University in Quebec City.

Senator Galvez will bring important expertise on environmental protection, which will be ever more important as parliamentarians will have to address the challenges of climate change.

Finally, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the appointment of Senator Tony Dean of Ontario. Senator Dean was appointed along with some of his previously mentioned colleagues in November 2016.

Mr. Dean made his career in the Ontario public service, rising to the position of secretary of the cabinet and head of the Ontario Public Service from 2002 to 2008. Senator Dean also served as deputy minister for two departments, working with NDP, Progressive Conservative, and Liberal provincial governments.

After his retirement in 2008, Senator Dean became a professor at the University of Toronto's school of public policy and governance. His hard work earned him a senior research fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School, praise from former Premier Dalton McGuinty, who described him as “the ultimate public servant”, and the Order of Ontario in 2009. Dean has written extensively on public sector leadership in both the Toronto Star and The Guardian, and co-authored a Mowat Centre report on fiscal sustainability in Canada.

Senator Dean has decades of invaluable public administration experience and a considerable record of success in public administration. His expertise makes him a valuable addition to the Senate, where he will have the opportunity to continue his life's work of improving governance for Canadians. Additionally, his perspective as a distinguished public servant will enable Parliament as a whole to better craft legislation and policy that impacts the public service.

Each of the new senators I have mentioned today represent the best of what Canada has to offer and together form a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. These leaders in their respective communities will be better able to represent the diversities of Canadians and help build a better Canada. Each of these individuals was selected and appointed through our government's new approach to Senate appointments, which is up for debate this evening. By selecting senators through a non-partisan, independent, and merit-based appointment process, our government is changing the composition of the Senate.

Gone are the days of appointing partisan bagmen and party hacks, a practice that resulted in the deterioration of Canadians' trust in our upper chamber. By making appointments based on merit and considering the diversity of perspectives and identities, our government is remaking the Senate into the place of non-partisan, sober second thought that it was intended to be. The Senate as an institution provides an opportunity to include the voices of groups that might not be represented in Parliament. The Senate of the past was worthy of criticism, though it was not reflective of the potential of the institution.

Our government believes in the potential of a non-partisan Senate that serves the interests of Canadians and is worthy of their trust. The reformed appointments process our government has undertaken is a step toward this future and to remaking the Senate for many decades to come.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her speech on new senators. Obviously we are here to talk about the main estimates, but there is nothing good to talk about in them and clearly the member agrees. There is no way to defend it, so it is better to talk about senators.

The member talked about how capable these new senators are, how qualified they are to do the right thing for Canada, so why is the government refusing each amendment that the senators bring?