House of Commons Hansard #200 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was security.

Topics

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and indeed the entire opposition have been going around the country telling every doctor they meet that they stand with them, that they will defend their rights to pay lower taxes than the nurses who work alongside those doctors. We do not think that is fair, but if the members opposite do want to stand with wealthy doctors, will they commit right now to restore the system of tax breaks for wealthy individuals after we make the changes that Canadians expect us to do?

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, he does not get it. These are not wealthy Canadians; these are hard-working, middle-class entrepreneurs planning and creating jobs.

The Prime Minister likes to talk about income sprinkling, and income sprinkling is a bit of a problem at big companies like Bombardier. The billionaire Bombardier-Beaudoin family sprinkles shares to its family members to keep itself in control and vote themselves big raises, even as their own government forks over $400 million in taxpayer bailouts, yet massive public corporations like Bombardier will not pay a penny more.

Why is the Prime Minister taxing local businesses while big companies continue to get big bailouts?

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to stand up for workers in the aerospace industry right across the country, who work very hard and create extraordinary products like the innovative, extraordinary C Series aircraft. We will continue to stand up and defend the hard-working Canadians who are building this country every single day. Our commitment is to the middle class and those working hard to join it, which means workers and which means small businesses that create opportunity and growth in their communities. Where we are changing the system is to prevent wealthy Canadians from using private corporations to get out of paying their fair share of taxes.

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

TaxationOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Order. It is good to see the members are enthusiastic coming back after the summer, but I ask them to contain their enthusiasm until it is their turn to speak.

The hon. member for Outremont.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, at no time since the Cuban missile crisis has the world been more aware of the threat of nuclear weapons.

I would like the Prime Minister to cast his mind back to last spring when I asked him about nuclear disarmament, and he told me that it would be well-intentioned but useless for Canada to be at the table for the UN talks. After the war of words between Donald Trump and Pyongyang over the summer, does the Prime Minister still believe that engaging in UN talks about nuclear disarmament is useless?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to leading in ensuring that our children will inherit a world free of nuclear weapons. Our approach involves both nuclear- and non-nuclear-armed states. We have taken a leadership role on a UN high-level group that is preparing the way for a fissile material cut-off treaty to end the production of nuclear weapons. We are providing support to the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification to develop credible and innovative monitoring and verification capabilities. We believe this collaborative, measured, and determined approach is the most effective way forward on nuclear—

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

The hon. member for Outremont.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, the problem is of course that the UN talks are taking place without Canada. The Prime Minister talks a very good game when it comes to world peace, but he refuses to be at the table where we could be playing a role.

It is a good thing Lloyd Axworthy did not act this way.

As a Canadian, I am very proud that the Ottawa treaty to ban landmines has the word “Ottawa” in its title. Even if Canada was not planting the mines, we saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

Let me come back to the question instead of the non-answer that is really about something else: why are we not at the negotiating table for nuclear disarmament? That is my question.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the NDP is always ready for well-meaning platitudes, but Canada must be ready for concrete actions. This is exactly what we are doing by taking the lead on the fissile material cut-off treaty. We know it is essential to free the world of nuclear weapons to protect our children and future generations. That is what Canada has always done and what it continues to proudly do under this government.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, Saudi Arabia is another issue that this Prime Minister mishandled. Although he made an emotional promise to Ensaf Haidar to take action to help her husband, Raif Badawi, two years later, nothing has been done.

In the meantime, his government has allowed the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, a country with an abysmal human rights record. It has been proven that Saudi Arabia uses Canadian weapons against civilians.

The time for making speeches has passed. Will the Prime Minister act to prohibit the export of weapons to Saudi Arabia, yes or no?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are very concerned about the reports of Saudi Arabia's use of weapons against civilians. Obviously, we continue to ensure that our partners respect all the rules much more openly and transparently than the previous government did.

I must remind the member from Outremont that it was a member of his party, the member fromLondon—Fanshawe, who said that a contract is a contract, and that once it is signed, it must be honoured. Even the NDP knew that the contract the Conservatives signed had to be honoured.

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Mr. Speaker, does the Prime Minister really not understand the difference between a contract to manufacture and his responsibility to sign the export permits? That is what this is about. Canada has a rule under international law that we will not export to countries that are using arms manufactured in our country to attack civilians. That is what is happening in Saudi Arabia, a country with a horrible human rights record. The Prime Minister loves to talk a good game. We are increasing our greenhouse gases every year. He talks about the environment. We are exporting to Saudi Arabia to kill civilians.

When is the Prime Minister going to stop talking and start acting?

Foreign AffairsOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we take very seriously our responsibilities as a government. That is why we put in place a degree of transparency and openness, particularly with regard to arms sales, that the previous Conservative government never even went near. We will continue to ensure that all Canadian rules and regulations are responded to, and if they are not lived up to, there will be consequences in terms of how we move forward.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, all over Canada, people are expressing outrage over the Prime Minister's tax changes. Some of his own members share some of that outrage. The member for Malpeque, who also happens to chair the Standing Committee on Finance, has stated that he is not impressed. He said, and I quote, “The government really needs to step back.”

When will the Prime Minister listen to his own caucus and finally step back?

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we are a government that considers a diversity of viewpoints to be valuable to all, and we encourage our members to voice the concerns of their constituents, now and in the future.

We also know that Canadians put us in government specifically to bring fairness to the tax system. That means preventing wealthy individuals from using tax measures as a means to enjoy a lower tax rate than the middle class.

TaxationOral Questions

2:30 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member for Halifax has said that, unless changes are made, he will not be able to support the Prime Minister's ill-advised plan. He is listening to the people in his riding who will be adversely affected by these changes: plumbers, electricians, fishermen, and the list goes on.

When will the Prime Minister start listening to hardworking Canadians who will be hard hit by his tax plan?

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years we had a Conservative government that focused on giving benefits to the wealthiest Canadians in the hopes of creating economic growth. That did not work for Canadians and that is why they elected a different government, our government, which promised to help the middle class and those working hard to join it.

We are doing that by making sure that they pay only the necessary taxes, by lowering taxes for the middle class, and by raising them for the rich.

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's frontbench looks a little jittery today, but that is nothing compared to his backbench. Here is what another one of his own MPs said about these tax increases:

I believe in my heart that these proposed changes will discourage entrepreneurship and hurt the very people we want to help.

Does that sound familiar?

If the Prime Minister will not listen to farmers, small business owners, hard-working Canadians, will he at least listen to his own caucus and stop attacking job creation?

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, we have been listening to Canadians all summer, and indeed for many years, Canadians who find it is unfair that our tax system, which was heartily endorsed by the previous government, gives advantages and benefits to the wealthiest that are not there for the middle class, including hard-working, middle-class small business owners and farmers. We are going to ensure that wealthy Canadians do not have the option of using private corporations to pay lower tax rates than middle-class Canadians. That is something Canadians expect in terms of fairness, and we will continue to support the middle class, including small businesses.

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister still does not get it, and his arrogance is astounding. He is attacking the entrepreneur who has to self-fund her maternity leave because she does not have a government-funded plan. She puts a little money away at the end of every month so she can afford to take time off when the baby comes. Right now, she pays 50% tax on any passive income she earns on those savings. The Prime Minister's plan will now tax her twice: once when it goes into the business and once when it flows to her.

Why is the Prime Minister forcing female entrepreneurs to choose between their business and their families?

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the members opposite do not actually understand this proposal, but that is no big surprise, because they did not understand for 10 years that giving tax breaks to the wealthiest does not help the middle class and does not grow the economy. That is what we saw from them in government for 10 years.

Even now when they are in opposition, they continue not to understand. They stood and opposed lowering taxes for the middle class and raising them on the wealthiest 1%. They opposed ending the sending of child benefit cheques to millionaires so we could do more for nine out of 10 Canadian families. That is what we are focused on.

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, no one believes that raising taxes on job creators to fund billion-dollar bailouts will help the middle class.

He can stand with his wealthy friends, and I will always stand with hard-working Canadians who do not have government-funded maternity leave, that do not have access to EI, and who never ask for a bailout when times get tough.

When will the Prime Minister listen to tax experts, entrepreneurs, and even his own caucus, and stop this attack on the middle class?

TaxationOral Questions

2:35 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, what we have not heard in all the outrage and all the talk about these proposed changes from the members opposite is the member opposite committing to reversing these changes. He has not committed to restoring these benefits to wealthy doctors and private corporations.

They are happy to talk about outrage, but they are not proposing to keep this system. That inconsistency is the heart of the problem. They invent problems, exaggerate them, and then will not act, because they know that helping middle-class Canadians matters.

TaxationOral Questions

September 18th, 2017 / 2:35 p.m.

Regina—Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan

Conservative

Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, after listening to the Prime Minister today, I have no doubt that he is just going to go ahead and ram through these tax hikes.

As Conservatives, we believe in raising people up, not tearing people down. We believe in ensuring that everyone can achieve prosperity, not in taking it away from anyone. Conservatives wake up every day trying to think of new ways to lower taxes. Liberals wake up every day trying to find new ways to raise taxes.

I want to take this opportunity to assure Canadians that the pain will only be temporary. We will fight these attacks on job creators. We will fight these every step of the way. We will save local businesses.