Debates of Sept. 19th, 2017

Taxation

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the party opposite was fine with tax advantages that encouraged the wealthy few to incorporate and get lower tax rates than middle-class Canadians. We are trying to make sure that the system is fair, because we just do not think that that works. What we are going to make sure of is that Canadians can continue to invest in a small business, to continue to invest in that active business to create jobs and economic activity. What we are not going to do is continue with a system that encourages the wealthy few to incorporate at a lower tax rate than the middle class.

Youth

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister appointed himself the Minister of Youth. He promised to reduce payroll taxes on youth and small businesses, but he has not done it. He promised to create 40,000 new jobs for youth, but he has lost over 18,000 jobs for youth to date. His proposed new taxes would only increase the number of young people in their parents' basements looking for work. When will the Prime Minister find a mirror, look his Minister of Youth in the eye, and fire him?

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (Youth)]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the investments that we have made in young Canadians, particularly after 10 years of inaction by the previous government. First and foremost, we doubled the number of summer jobs from 35,000 to roughly 70,000. Following that, we ensured that we were investing in young Canadians to make sure they have the funding to be able to go to university and get the education they need to find the jobs they are looking for. Most recently, we are very proud of the fact that we invested to ensure that there are 60,000 new co-op placements so that young Canadians have the experience and on-hand training experience they need to get the jobs they want. We are proud of these investments. We are going to continue to invest in young Canadians.

Taxation

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first they promised to lower taxes for small businesses and then they broke that promise. Now with their latest small business tax-grab scheme, the Liberals are attacking some of the hardest working people in the country. Now, rather than focusing on expanding, investing, or hiring, local businesses are fearful. Without sufficient details on this tax grab, it will only get worse.

My question is for the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, whose job it is to help create an environment where entrepreneurs can invest, hire, and grow. Is she proud of her government's ham-fisted approach and the fear it has caused in our business community?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we want to be clear. What we are putting forward are measures to make sure that we do not have a system that encourages the wealthiest to incorporate so they have a lower tax rate than the middle class. We know that is important. What we are also going to continue to do is to grow our economy. That is exactly what we are achieving through the measures investing in our economy. Creating a system that is fair and allows the middle class to thrive helps all of us, and that is what we are looking forward to in our economy in the future.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, entrepreneurs need to hear that they are valued and desperately needed in this country. Small business needs a champion inside cabinet, and the Minister of Small Business and Tourism cannot even rise in this place to speak to her government's record. She could choose to be that voice in cabinet. Perrin Beatty of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has offered to the government to sit down with local businesses in town halls across the country and really hear small business owners. The minister's colleague, the finance minister, has refused to do so.

How about it, minister? Is the minister willing to meet with the chambers of commerce all across this country, or is she going to stay here in the Ottawa bubble?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we want to make sure that we do not have a tax system that favours the wealthy over the middle class. We know that putting forward measures that would make a long-term difference is important.

We also know that we need to listen, and that is why I am listening. I was pleased to speak to the St. John's Chamber of Commerce last week. I am looking forward this weekend to going to Fredericton to talk to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and hear from it. We want to get these measures right. We want to continue to encourage investment in this country. We want to do it while making sure that our tax system is fair for everyone, especially the middle class.

Natural Resources

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

Mr. Speaker, Enbridge Line 9B is a 40-year-old pipeline that crosses the Ottawa River and passes through Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Greenpeace, elected officials, and the public are extremely concerned. In fact, if the pipeline leaks, in less than 12 hours, 3 million people in the Montreal area will no longer have clean drinking water.

Will the government require Enbridge to strengthen the safety of its pipeline and share its emergency plans to protect our drinking water intakes? Furthermore, should that not already be the bare minimum before the government authorizes energy projects?

[Jim Carr, Liberal, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of Canadians is of primary interest to the Government of Canada. It is one of the reasons we passed the Pipeline Safety Act, which introduced a whole new set of measures, talking about insurance liabilities and the necessity of timely clean-ups. It talks about who is responsible. In any approval of any major infrastructure project in the country, the safety and well-being of Canadians is at the very top of our list.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, last month, an open-net salmon farm in Washington State released as many as 300,000 Atlantic salmon into the Pacific. Local first nations immediately declared a state of emergency. Washington State immediately imposed a moratorium on new salmon farms, but our federal fisheries minister chose to stand by and “monitor the situation”.

What will it take for the minister to protect west coast wild salmon and transition these dangerous salmon farms to safe, land-based, closed containment?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I was in British Columbia two weeks ago. I had the privilege to discuss this important issue with my new counterpart in the provincial government of British Columbia. We share the concern of all British Columbians with respect to the escape that took place in the United States. We obviously are working with American authorities to understand exactly how that happened and understand what, if any, impact it will have in Canadian rivers.

I can say to all Canadians that my colleagues from British Columbia, and in fact all British Columbians, have made it clear to our government that they want us to do everything possible to ensure that aquaculture can be done safely. We are open to all options to ensure that this can be done.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, fishermen are the lifeblood of our rural and remote coastal communities in Atlantic Canada. They work hard. They create jobs, and they pay their taxes. After they pay for the repairs to their vessels and gear and pay their employees, taxes, and other expenses, what little is left is put away for, some day, perhaps a modest retirement.

When the minister makes changes that crush the dreams of fishermen's retirement, there is nothing fair about that. Why can the minister not see that?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege on many occasions, including this morning, to meet with fishermen, for example, from southwest Nova Scotia, with my colleague the member of Parliament for that area. I can tell the hon. member that the fishermen we talk to want to earn their living in a responsible, sustainable way. They understand the importance of middle-class Canadians having the appropriate tax structure so they can continue to thrive and support their families.

We will always work to ensure that middle-class Canadians benefit from a tax regime that is fair for them, and if the wealthiest among us have to pay a bit more, that is understandable.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says Atlantic Canadians, like my relatives, feel tax pain more than most and that the combined tax burden is one of the biggest challenges in the region. Small business owners there have “significant anxiety” about the Liberals' tax plans. Hard-working, risk-taking, job-creating Canadians who do not have a family fortune to fall back on, as the Prime Minister does, will suffer from this Liberal cash grab.

Will the finance minister explain to middle-class fishermen, private contractors, and small business owners why he wants to make things so much harder for them?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister responsible for ACOA, I work very closely with all the communities in Atlantic Canada to create economic opportunities and economic development opportunities for small and medium-size enterprises. Through ACOA, for example, and our involvement as government, we worked with Riverside Lobster to help create 40 jobs for West Nova. In Egmont, with IO Solutions, we helped create 100 jobs. That is why, since 2015, there have been more than 400,000 jobs created in the Canadian economy. That is our number one priority, helping small and medium-size enterprises to create good-quality, resilient jobs across Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, a new parliamentary session is starting, and the government is kicking it off with new taxes.

I strongly believe that the planned changes will discourage entrepreneurship and hurt those we want to help. That is what a Liberal MP said, because he feared, like most Canadians do, that the new Liberal taxes would have negative consequences for Atlantic Canada small businesses and the future of fishers.

Is the Prime Minister imposing this new tax to pay for his massive deficit or to budget for another holiday?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we are considering how we can make our system fairer. Our current tax system encourages the wealthiest to incorporate so they can pay a lower tax rate than the middle class. That is the challenge.

We are listening. Across the country, I am always listening to ensure that our system is fair and that businesses can continue to invest in their operations.

[Michel Picard, Liberal, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, residents of my riding, Montarville, especially families with young children, clearly understand the tax benefits. It is obvious that they are very interested in the changes the government plans to make. In light of our strong economic growth and proof that our plan for the middle class is working, can the Minister of Finance tell us about the current economic situation?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, our economy is humming along. We are in a very good position. Today, we announced our economic situation. We have recorded the highest rate of growth in a decade. Over the past year, we created almost 400,000 new jobs. That is a really good situation. We are continuing to invest in our economy because it is very important. There are now more families with jobs and more business opportunities across the country thanks to our rate of growth.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, small business is the lifeblood of the tourism industry and of Canada, and campground owners and many other small business owners just like them are amongst the hardest working Canadians; and the Minister of Small Business and Tourism is simply cheerleading while her government destroys their businesses with huge new tax bills.

Why has the minister stood by as family-run campgrounds are taxed for being too small to be a small business? Why is she not standing up against this tax hike on all small businesses that will lay waste not only to the tourism industry but to all of the Canadian economy?

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

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise in this place and to remind all Canadians that our tourism industry is doing better than ever and it has a champion at the cabinet table, because the Prime Minister and this government take the tourism industry and small businesses seriously. Not only are they the backbone of the economy, but they are the very people for whom we will continue to fight.

This year was Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation. We saw record numbers; and 2018 will be the year of Canada-China tourism and we expect to increase those numbers.

The tourism industry is booming. This government will continue to support it. The tourism industry is the number one employer of youth, and we are proud of its record.

The Environment

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government is putting the environment in the Drummond area at risk because of its catastrophic management of 9,000 tonnes of toxic materials in my riding. The province of Quebec has issued notices of violation to the Liberal government and is threatening legal action for sending highly contaminated soil to an unauthorized site. People's health and the environment in the Drummond area deserve to be protected. Will the Liberal government walk the talk and comply with environmental legislation?

[Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House take the protection of the environment very seriously. Issues such as contaminated sites are addressed through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

We work hard to ensure that we are addressing those in a thoughtful way, and we engage with governments, including the Government of Quebec, to discuss issues as they arise.

Foreign Affairs

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Myanmar is devastating. The Rohingya people are suffering the sort of violence and horrors that should be relegated to our history books. Thousands of women and children have been attacked, killed, and forced out of their homes.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs update the House on what actions Canada is taking to prevent these horrible acts against the Rohingya people?

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

Mr. Speaker, our government is seized by the unacceptable persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar and is actively engaged on this file. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have raised this at the highest levels, including with Aung San Suu Kyi and Kofi Annan. They will both continue to raise it this week at the UN General Assembly.

We will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Rohingya and call on the Myanmar government to allow access into Rakhine State to further assess the situation.

This violence has been equated to ethnic cleansing. This is unacceptable and must cease immediately.