House of Commons Hansard #195 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was consent.
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we have followed the process under the Investment Canada Act. All transactions are subject to a national security review.
However, more broadly, we are focused on the economy, and we are focused on investments coming to Canada, which is why, in the first quarter, we saw growth up by 3.7%. It is why, since we formed government, the unemployment rate has gone from 7.1% to 6.6%, which is 250,000 good-quality full-time jobs over the past six months.
Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says he wants middle-class Canadians and those working hard to join them to pay even more for Internet services. We know that the Liberals are proposing a 5% additional tax on everyone's Internet bill. Canadians are hoping that this is the Prime Minister's version of a very late April Fool's joke. It is ridiculous.
Will the Prime Minister commit today that he will not implement an Internet tax on hard-working Canadian families, yes or no?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear, our government will not be introducing a tax on the Internet. Since we were elected, we lowered taxes for the middle class and increased them for the wealthiest 1% of Canadians.
Canadians of all walks of life rely on Internet services for business and personal use, and we will not be introducing a tax on the Internet that would further burden them.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians will not be facing a Netflix tax after all. The Liberals are considering a streaming tax instead. We know that the Liberals have lost control of public finances, but the only solution they have found to solve their financial problems is to tax, tax, and tax Canadians.
Can the government come to its senses and tell Canadians that it will not be imposing a streaming tax, as recommended by the Liberal and NDP members?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear: the government will not be implementing a tax on Internet services. We have been clear on that issue all along.
Since our government came to power, we have increased taxes for the wealthiest 1%, in order to reduce them for the middle class. Canadians across the country depend on Internet service for their businesses and personal use. We are not introducing any taxes that would cause them undue harm.
Alain Rayes Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister approved the sale of a firm that manufactures equipment used to keep us and the Americans safe without conducting a national security review. Now we learn that we are not the only ones concerned. The Americans are as well.
Can the Prime Minister finally tell us, once and for all, what the American officials specifically told him about it?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, national security is an absolute priority for our government.
All transactions reviewed under the Investment Canada Act are subject to a multi-stage security review process. We have never compromised on national security.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, after almost two years, the Liberals have not made a single change to former Bill C-51, despite their promises and serious constitutional concerns. The no-fly list is still in effect, intelligence agencies still enjoy enormous powers, and the list goes on.
By maintaining this legislation, which they supported when it was introduced, the Liberals are allowing gross violations of Canadians’ privacy to continue.
My question is clear: will they finally repeal Bill C-51 with the bill they intend to introduce next week?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear that following the most extensive consultation with Canadians in Canadian history on the issue of national security and intelligence activities, we will be introducing important legislation. That legislation will accomplish two things. It will make sure that our agencies are keeping Canadians safe and it will also safeguard Canadian rights and freedoms.
Matthew Dubé NDP Beloeil—Chambly, QC
Mr. Speaker, the only action we have seen from these Liberals on Bill C-51 is when they supported the Conservative bill in the last Parliament. It is not very reassuring when they decide to table legislation in the dying days of a sitting of Parliament. It gets worse. We are also looking at warrantless access to the private information of Canadian Internet users, something the Supreme Court has judged is unconstitutional. When we see the minister's office saying that it is “developing proposals for what legislation could look like”, that is concerning.
Could the minister assure the House that we are not going to be giving police and spy agencies the powers to take Canadians' private Internet information?
Ralph Goodale LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, it is a frequent opposition tactic to try to spook people with innuendos and questions. The fact of the matter is that the legislation will accomplish the two objectives that I mentioned: number one, to keep Canadians safe, and parallel with that at exactly the same time, to safeguard the rights and freedoms of Canadians, which includes their privacy rights.
Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON
Mr. Speaker, the proposed sale of Norsat to China's Hytera has been botched by the government. This is a company that is accused of stealing intellectual property and is under investigation in the United States. The Liberals continue to mislead Canadians by saying a security review was done. That is simply not true. U.S. officials raised the alarm, experts in the field recommend a review, and the government has not said anything about protecting Canadian jobs here.
Why is the government misleading Canadians instead of admitting what it should have done in the first place: order a formal security review and do its job?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, since the member opposite wants to talk about jobs, let us take the opportunity to highlight the government's investment in Windsor. When we were in Windsor, through the strategic investment fund and the automotive innovation fund, Ford Motor Company of Canada invested $1 billion. That would help the city of Windsor in creating up to 800 jobs in Windsor and Ottawa at the connectivity centre.
These are the kinds of investments that are coming under the Investment Canada Act as we go out there explaining to the world that we are open for investment, open for trade, and making sure we are open to people. We are going to focus on growth. We are going to focus on the middle class and those working hard to join it.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, a legislative change cost hundreds of Aveos employees their jobs. Because Air Canada took 11 months to compensate them, those hundreds of workers now owe thousands to employment insurance.
That is what happened to Annie Bellemare. Her husband lost his job with Aveos. Two years later, he died of cancer. Now employment insurance is demanding Ms. Bellemare pay back $11,500. If the government does nothing, she will have to take that money out of the funds set aside for their three children's education. More than 700 people are in similar unacceptable situations.
Will the minister show some compassion and do something about these cases?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House is sorry to hear about the difficult situations workers and families are facing. The employment insurance system is meant to help these families. I invite the member to forward all the relevant information to my department so that families and workers can get the services and benefits they need.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, the more we learn about the Norsat scandal, the more the government gets tangled in its own web. The worst part is that, not only has our national security been compromised, but our diplomatic relations are also struggling to recover.
Yesterday, the Canadian ambassador to the United States told a Senate committee that he believed the Americans had been consulted. However, he then had to retract his statement and admit that he did not actually know anything more than what the Prime Minister had said in the House. That is embarrassing and humiliating.
Will the Prime Minister finally come clean with Canadians?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, the record is very clear. Under the Investment Canada Act, all transactions are subject to a national security review. We have enormous confidence in our national security agencies and the advice that they give us. The advice that they gave us is the advice that we followed. We never have and never will compromise on national security.
The member opposite is creating allegations and innuendo. We are focused on growing the economy. We are focused on the middle class. We are focused on making sure those working hard to join the middle class have every opportunity to succeed.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, are they really allegations?
What is clear is that the company has said that it never underwent a serious review. What is also clear is that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS, said that cabinet made the final decision. What is clear is that an American committee is worried about the national security of the United States and Canada.
When will the government come clean on this?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Canada's national security agencies examined the deal. What else is clear is that the government followed the security agencies' recommendations. Those are the facts.
Our security agencies have all the relevant information. They did their due diligence. They did their homework. They followed the process. They made a recommendation. We accepted that recommendation and that advice. That is how the process works under the Investment Canada Act. We have always followed the process. We have done our homework. We always will advance Canada's national interests.
Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, under the previous government, we launched a full national security review into the sale of military grade technology to China. It warned that if approved, China could produce western military technology, significantly reducing our and our allies' military advantage. With the Norsat sale, the Liberal minister has completely ignored that warning, putting Canadians' and our allies' security at risk.
When will the minister stop buddying up with China and start standing up for Canadians and our allies?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we are always focused on advancing our national interests. That is why we listened to the advice and feedback given by our national security agencies.
They examine all the relevant facts. They actually have access to all the relevant facts. They also engage with our allies, as well. In doing so, they make a recommendation to us. Based on that recommendation, we agreed with their assessment. We took their advice, we followed their advice, because we understand it is always important to make sure that we advance our national interests and never compromise on national security.
Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Liberals did not do their homework when approving the sale of Norsat to Hytera Communications from China, because Hytera is currently being sued by Motorola for committing massive intellectual property theft. Protection of IP rights is crucial for successful innovation.
My question to the minister is simple. How can we believe that the Liberals are sincere about wanting to promote innovation, when they go ahead and approve the sale of Norsat to a Chinese company that has been accused of stealing intellectual property rights?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that we respect our national security agencies. We respect the capacity that they have to do their due diligence, to be able to examine all the relevant facts, and to make sure they advance our national interests. They did exactly that.
They followed the process. They made a recommendation to me. Based on that recommendation, we followed their advice and proceeded with the transaction. We have been very clear. We have been very transparent with Canadians. There is a clear process. We followed it under the Investment Canada Act, and we will always advance our national interests.
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Mr. Speaker, the sell off of B.C.-based Norsat to China-based Hytera raises significant national security concerns here in Canada and with our closest ally, the United States.
Norsat is developing military technology for drones and F-35 fighter jets, and putting it in the hands of the Chinese military is a betrayal. We know the Prime Minister is an admirer of the communist dictatorship of the People's Republic of China, but how can he possibly justify selling out our national security for these 30 pieces of silver?
Navdeep Bains LiberalMinister of Innovation
Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear. We never have and we never will compromise our national security.
We listen to the advice of our national security agencies. They have the ability to examine all the relevant information, all the relevant facts. They examined the situation very thoroughly. They made a recommendation. They gave us advice. We have followed that advice. We never have and we never will compromise on national security.