Debates of June 15th, 2017

Foreign Investment

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to vulnerable seniors, our government understands the importance of investing in them. That is why we increased the guaranteed income supplement for seniors, that is why we changed the old age security levels from 67 to 65, and that is why we are focusing on investing in seniors.

With respect to the specific transactions, we did our due diligence and we followed the process. It was done under the Investment Canada Act. With regard to the regulatory requirements, British Columbia is responsible for that and it is overseeing that process.

Government Appointments

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing the minister has done is sold our seniors down the road.

Once again we find ourselves talking about the Liberals' open, transparent, merit-based appointment process. We know that at the Halifax Port Authority, five of the seven board members are appointed by the federal government. Can members guess what all five Liberal appointed board members have in common? Every single one of them is a Liberal donor. The evidence is overwhelming.

Will the Prime Minister finally admit that when it comes to appointments, only Liberals need apply?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I totally reject the premise of that question. We have always been very clear that in our new, open, transparent, merit-based process also looks at diversity, including gender diversity. We are looking for the best and most qualified people to occupy these important positions in our port authorities. I am very proud of the selection we have made for the fine Port of Halifax.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. It is not appropriate to keep on bellowing and heckling throughout the answer to a question, so we are going to go to the hon. member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

Status of Women

[Sheila Malcolmson, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, violence against women in the Northwest Territories was nine times the national rate, according to StatsCan. About 80% of Northwest Territories communities do not have access to victim services. About 85% not have domestic violence shelters, and some women do not even have access to phones.

If this self-described feminist government truly believes in equality and ending violence against women, how will Liberals ensure every woman has support, and no woman is ever turned away from a shelter, no matter where she lives?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Minister of Status of Women]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy. I can assure her that we put gender at the heart of the work we do. No relationship is more important to our government than that with first nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of this land.

To that end, we will be announcing very soon the gender-based violence strategy, which aims to do exactly what the member opposite wishes it to do. I thank the committee for its work. This morning, we announced a significant investment in an organization that will be doing great work in northern communities across the country.

The Environment

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the saga of the Kathryn Spirit is turning into a real joke. Taxpayers are being forced to pay the price for the Liberals' bad management.

In November 2016, the Minister of Transport said that and RFP would be posted in the spring of 2017 and the work would be done after that. Here we are mid-June, and nothing has happened. It gets worse. According to Le Journal de Montréal, the work is slated to begin in 2018 and may end in 2019.

Can the ministers be straight with the people of Beauharnois, for once? Will they finally meet with the mayor of Beauharnois and myself next week so we can find out what is really going on with this?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, our government pledged to protect Canadians' health and safety and our waters. We are making all the necessary arrangements for the safe, efficient, permanent removal of the vessel. In July 2016 and June 2017, the department conducted a number of environmental studies and assessments that were required prior to dismantling the vessel. The RFP will be posted by the end of June. The contract will be awarded and work will begin in the fall.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, an explosive report shows that in the last 18 months Canada has seen a massive spike in asylum claims that will cost taxpayers a staggering $2.97 billion in welfare payments that have not been budgeted for. By doing things like lifting the Mexican visa requirement, and turning a blind eye to the illegal border crossing crisis, the Liberals have created a huge processing backlog, failing both taxpayers and the world's most vulnerable alike.

How is the Prime Minister going to pay for his hashtag welcome to Canada? Hashtag fail.

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I am very proud of our government's commitment to welcoming people fleeing war, terror and persecution.

The board recently introduced new measures, including shorter hearings for simple cases, which would make the process more efficient, and in turn, lead to greater productivity and increased fairness.

We have also put in place an independent review to identify options to further increase our asylum system's productivity. Our government will continue to work with the board to ensure that our refugee protection system is fair and compassionate.

Foreign Affairs

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the air and land blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states is continuing. Saudi Arabia cites Qatari links with militant groups in the embrace of various terrorist entities, including Iranian groups. Saudi Arabia is demanding that Qatar break all links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Iran.

Canadians have not heard a peep from the Liberals on this dispute, which includes both allies and enemies. Can the minister explain why?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the stability of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East is certainly of importance to this government, and to all Canadians. Canada is following recent developments in the region. We strongly encourage all parties to work together to resolve disagreements. Canada's consular travel advice has been updated to reflect the ongoing situation. We are advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution. We hope that issues between the parties will be addressed in a constructive manner.

Agriculture

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today another two cases of the deadly PED virus have been reported in Manitoba hog barns, yet the Minister of Agriculture has offered nothing more than bafflegab, and more talk. This morning we heard from industry pork experts that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, at the very least, needs to immediately bring back the biosecurity measures the Liberals eliminated, particularly the trusted truck wash protocol.

Will the minister finally listen to these industry experts, and stop needlessly putting these Canadian farm families at risk?

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, we are determined to protect the health of animals in Canada, and we are working with our partners to ensure that the disease is contained.

Our government supports Manitoba in its efforts to manage the current outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea and will continue to do so. We want to ensure that we have very effective and efficient transport protocols in place to protect the livestock.

Construction Industry

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, late payment of contractors in the construction industry has been a significant problem for far too long. Contractors who complete their obligations deserve to be paid in a timely manner. Too many workers and small businesses in the construction industry face severe hardships while they wait for payment of their work.

Can the parliamentary secretary please inform the House of recent steps taken to ensure the prompt payment to these contractors?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, we have very good news today. I want to thank the hon. member for Humber River—Black Creek for her hard work on this file.

Our government strongly supports the prompt payment of contractors and subcontractors. Last week, we were able to announce that we will publicly disclose payments to contractors to eliminate this unfair situation. This will provide our subcontractors with the information they need to get paid on time. Of course, along with the hon. member, we will continue to work with our industry partners to find further tangible solutions to bring prompt payment fairness to our trade workers and businesses.

National Defence

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

Mr. Speaker, we are still waiting for the official announcement that university-level programs have been restored at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, and yet the first group of students is supposed to start this September. Obviously, military officials are growing impatient considering all the delays on this file.

First of all, can the Minister of National Defence confirm the number of announcements that have been cancelled over the past 18 months?

Second, can he confirm whether the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean in September will be offering university-level courses to it students come September?

[Jean Rioux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague had read the new defence policy, he would know that it says right there in black and white that we are restoring the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean as a full degree-granting institution. This is good news, and it has already had an impact. Many students have enrolled in college courses so they can pursue a university degree at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean.

Port of Churchill

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Churchill, Manitoba is facing a crisis. Almost a year ago the port was shut down. Now it is the rail line. The community is suddenly isolated. Businesses are hurting; people are worried. We need immediate federal action. What Churchill is facing is a national disgrace. Our north deserves better.

Will the federal government step in to address the immediate crisis, and finally work to re-nationalize the port and the rail line, and work with northern and indigenous communities to get it working again?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we as a government always stand ready to provide assistance to any province or territory that requests assistance in the event of a natural disaster, such as flooding. The Minister of Public Safety has been in contact with the Government of Manitoba to make that offer clear to it, and we are monitoring the situation. From the Transport Canada point of view, we are developing a plan to make sure that both the Port of Churchill and the airport are capable of addressing the needs with respect to supplies for the people of Churchill.

Labour Relations

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the previous government used every opportunity to attack middle class Canadians who were part of unions in this country. The Conservatives undermined the collective bargaining process, and made it more difficult for Canadian workers to organize.

The previous government regarded unions as obstacles. Our government knows that unions are important partners in growing our economy and creating high-quality jobs.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment provide the House with an update on measures the government has taken to support the labour movement at home and abroad?

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge for his work on behalf of Canadian unions. This week was a great week for Canadian labour and Canadian workers.

Yesterday, the Senate passed Bill C-4, which is an act that repeals two Conservative bills that were both egregious, and deliberate attacks on organized labour. As well, our minister ratified ILO Convention 98, which is an act that guarantees workers' right to organize and bargain collectively. This government ran on a platform of fair and balanced labour laws, and we will deliver that to Canadian workers.

Official Languages

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Canadian Heritage claimed that she was part of an exemplary government that is leading the way when it comes to official languages.

If that is indeed the case, how does she explain the fact that the Commissioner of Official Languages received 40% more complaints in the past year and that, yesterday, her colleague, the Minister of Environment sent my office here in Ottawa a letter written in English only about my riding, one of the most francophone ridings in Canada?

Can the Liberals spend less time appointing their friends to important government positions and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order.

The hon. Minister of Canadian Heritage.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, of course, our two official languages are a priority for our government. When it comes to bilingualism, we know that there is always room for improvement.

That being said, we are going to abide by the process and appoint a Commissioner of Official Languages. The Official Languages Commissioner is an important officer of Parliament who is part of our vision for official languages, which involves making them a priority in our government's approach.

I would also like to remind my colleague that we have already taken action on this issue with regard to national defence, justice, early childhood education, and community infrastructure. I invite him to participate in the discussions that are taking place as part of the consultations.