Debates of June 5th, 2017

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the CRTC's decision regarding Séries+ has already resulted in the cancellation of three Quebec television series. This is an attack on our culture, and this Canadian institution is opening the door to giving other broadcasters the same type of licence. That means fewer Quebec productions.

If the minister does not want to take action and if the CRTC does not want to fulfill its mandate, what is the federal government waiting for? When will it transfer authority over cultural matters to Quebec? We care about our culture.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, we believe in culture, and that is why we are taking action.

I would also like to remind my colleague that we decided to take leadership on this issue and that we held public consultations on the impact of digital on Canadian content. I will be tabling a new cultural policy in 2017. Of course, I invite my colleague to share his comments with me as this policy is being prepared.

Infrastructure

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we tried, but once again, this government is determined to ignore Quebec.

In the current wording of Bill C-44, the infrastructure bank can be made an agent of the crown, allowing it to circumvent Quebec statutes and regulations. This even includes expropriation powers. If that was not its intention, it needs to amend the bill. Otherwise, this will be just one more example of Ottawa walking all over Quebec.

This is the last chance. Will the government remove this power to give the infrastructure bank crown agent status, a power that goes too far?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, the bank has been set up with the same legal structure as many other crown corporations. I can assure the hon. member that any project undertaken by the bank will be required to follow all provincial, territorial, and municipal laws. We have committed to investing in infrastructure to support our provinces and municipalities. We will do that while respecting the local decision-making processes.

Foreign Affairs

[Omar Alghabra, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled “Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children”, adopted at Geneva on October 19, 1996; and the “Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance”, adopted at Geneva on November 23, 2007.

An explanatory memorandum is included with each treaty.

Public Accounts

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 28th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts entitled “Public Accounts of Canada 2016”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Public Service Superannuation Act

[Alupa Clarke, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-357, An Act to amend the Public Service Superannuation Act (Group 1 contributors).

Mr. Speaker, it is with honour and pride, but mostly with humility that I rise today because this is the first time in my life that I have had the opportunity and incredible privilege, as a Canadian, to act as a legislator and introduce my first bill.

It is a private member's bill, of course, but it would require royal assent. I intend to do everything I possibly can to make the government see the importance of this bill.

It seeks to ensure that veterans can benefit from the grandfather provision in the changes made to the federal public service pension legislation.

In 2012, some changes were made to ensure the vitality of federal public service pensions. Some grandfather provisions were applied to ensure that those who were public servants before 2013 could benefit from the status quo. Veterans were inadvertently excluded from this.

When a veteran who fought for our country for many years brought the issue to my attention, I did not hesitate to move forward. For a year, I prepared everything I needed to and today I am very pleased to introduce this bill.

In closing, I would like to say that I love grassroots politics, but I want to be a full-fledged legislator. This is a big day for me and for all the veterans who served this country in another way, in the Canadian federal public service in particular.

That is why I am introducing this bill today.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today and present this petition signed by many Manitobans, predominantly from the north, regarding Mr. Abiodun Ogunbanwo's family immigration application, requesting that the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship allow him to reunite with his family here in Canada. Mr. Ogunbanwo, who now lives in Thompson, Manitoba, works with the Canadian Mental Health Association as the coordinator of the Thompson Homeless Shelter and he also works as a pastor. He has been separated from his wife and two children, who still reside in Nigeria, for almost six years. He fears for their lives because of the violence taking place in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, the lengthy process he has been through to bring his family to Canada is at a standstill. That is why my office, together with Thompson, Manitoba MLA Kelly Bindle, have been working very hard to bring attention to this situation. It is our hope that in presenting this petition, Mr. Ogunbanwo will see his application moved forward once again.

The Environment

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on World Environment Day, it gives me great pleasure to table a petition from Edmontonians in support Bill C-202, the Canadian environmental bill of rights, which I have tabled in this place three times.

The petitioners want this bill supported because it would impose a public trust duty on the government to protect the environment, it would extend the right to a protected environment to present and future generations, and it would provide legal tools to hold the government accountable when it fails to deliver on those obligations.

Mining

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions today. The first petition is from residents of the Kipawa Lake area who are very concerned by a proposal to mine rare earths by Matamec Explorations Inc.

The petitioners' view is that the Kipawa rare earths project threatens the unique, ecological, cultural, and historical value of the Kipawa Lake system. They hope the House will support their efforts to protect the Kipawa Lake region.

Genetically Modified Organisms

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents throughout the area surrounding Cowichan Bay and also within my own riding.

The petitioners are calling for the House to take steps to ensure that products containing genetically modified organisms are labelled so that consumers have a choice of what they want to buy and what they do not want to buy.

Water Quality

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since today is World Environment Day, I would like to point out that, after spending a few years here, I came back because of two lakes; Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog. People have raised the alarm about these two lakes, especially Lake Champlain.

In the summer heat, the water turns as green as pea soup because of cyanobacteria, and it is awful. This lake is part of the Canada-United States boundary waters.

People in my riding want the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take action right away and order the International Joint Commission, which is responsible for boundary waters, to allocate part of next year's budget to fix the problems with Lake Champlain.

Physician-Assisted Dying

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

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions today. The first petition is relating to the protection of conscience of physicians and health care professionals. The petitioners say that coercion, intimidation, and other forms of pressure intended to force physicians and health care institutions to become parties to assisted suicide and euthanasia is a violation of fundamental freedoms of conscience. They highlight that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the freedoms of conscience and religion. The government, in the passage of legislation to permit assisted suicide, highlighted that there would be nobody forced to participate in assisted suicide against his or her will, but in fact in the province of Ontario that is now happening and it is going to the Supreme Court.

The petitioners are calling on Parliament to pass legislation to ensure the protection of conscience.

Sex Selection

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

Mr. Speaker, the other petition is with respect to sex selection. The petition highlights the fact that ultrasounds are being used to determine the sex of the preborn child, and if it is a girl, tragically, the pregnancy ends. It notes that discrimination against women and girls starts even before they are born.

The petitioners are calling on this Parliament to condemn the practice of sex selection against girls.

The Environment

[Kennedy Stewart, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on World Environment Day to present a petition against Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline. This is an especially apt day to present this petition because tomorrow we will have a vote here in the House of Commons on the pipeline.

A number of the constituents who have signed this petition are especially appalled that the Liberal MPs have sided with the company against their own communities and would like the government to reconsider its decision to approve this pipeline and instead reject it.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time, please.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Mr. Anthony Rota]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Bill C-44—Time Allocation Motion

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

moved:

That in relation to Bill C-44, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 22, 2017, and other measures, not more than five further hours shall be allotted to the consideration of the report stage and one sitting day shall be allotted to the third reading stage of the said bill; and

That, at the expiry of five hours provided for the consideration of the report stage and fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the third reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Pursuant to Standing Order 67, there will now be a 30-minute question period.

I invite all hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places so that the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.

The hon. House Leader of the Official Opposition.

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, here we are again seeing this government shutting down debate on important pieces of legislation like Bill C-44, the budget implementation act, a bill that has so many pieces that have unanswered questions. I am thinking about specifically the infrastructure bank and the fact that Canadians are going to be on the hook for any losses that might be incurred by investors who want to apparently invest using this infrastructure bank. The bank has not been explained, the risk to Canadians has not been explained, and, if anything, the government is trying to gloss over it by putting it into Bill C-44.

Now we are being told we cannot debate Bill C-44 and ask these important questions. All the while, and this is even more egregious, the government has just introduced and is making us debate two motions, one around the Paris accord, and one tomorrow around foreign affairs issues, both of which are absolutely needless. All the Liberals seem to want is to have someone tell them that they are doing a good job and doing the right thing. They have to use up time in the House of Commons to do that while making us sit here until midnight every single night, though we have no problem with hard work, and using time allocation and shutting down discussion on important things like the infrastructure bank.

This is unbelievable that the Liberals are doing this again and have completely mismanaged this House. How can they defend that?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, a place to start might be to consider the amount of time that Bill C-44 has actually been considered in this House. The total length of debate in hours was 12 hours and 25 minutes. The total length in terms of days was four days. The number of committee meetings was 10, and the total number of witnesses heard was 70.

As we think about the total number of speakers, we have had 54 speakers in this House, and I would like to go through who has had the opportunity to speak. There have been 17 members from the official opposition, eight members from the New Democratic Party, one member from the Bloc Québécois, and, of course, members from our side of the House.

We believe we have had a good amount of time to review this, and we are looking forward to this bill going to committee so that we can scrutinize it further.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members to try to keep it to around a minute each for the questions and the answers. I notice there are quite a few people who have questions, so that would give everyone a chance.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Victoria.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with my colleague, the opposition House leader, in expressing concern about the limitation that the government is presenting on its signature budget bill. I remind those who may be watching at home that the bill is another omnibus budget bill. We thought those were gone when Mr. Harper left the room, but in fact they continue. It is a bill that includes veterans issues, that would amend the Parliament of Canada Act, and that would create an unprecedented infrastructure bank. Now we are being told that if eight of 44 NDP members have a chance to speak, we should be satisfied by that.

Closing debate on a budget bill is not the same as a widgets bill. This is the lifeblood of our democracy, how the government spends money and how its priorities are reflected in its expenditure decisions.

Would the Minister of Finance please allow us more time to do what Canadians sent us here to do?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of things in the member's question that I would like to respond to. First and foremost, we made a commitment that we would put in our budget bills things that were related to the budget, to spending, not things that were extraneous or not related in any way. That is exactly what we have done in Bill C-44. That continues to be what we want to do in order to make sure the measures that involve spending in the government are actually in the budget bill. That is the case here.

With respect to what we are trying to do, we know that parliamentarians have a responsibility to properly scrutinize legislation and a duty to vote on different pieces of legislation, and we look forward to this bill going to committee. At that stage, we know it can be studied further and we can hear directly in that way through Canadians and experts in a public forum. That is what we are looking forward to doing.