Debates of Sept. 22nd, 2017

50th Anniversary of Collège Lionel-Groulx

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Collège Lionel-Groulx, a public institution dedicated to college-level and adult education in Sainte-Thérèse. Collège Lionel-Groulx stands out in the Lower Laurentian region for its special relationship with its partners and for its contribution to the economy. It is known throughout Quebec for the quality of its education programs, for instance in theatre. Some famous people graduated from there, including Sophie Desmarais, Simon Boulerice, and Julie Le Breton.

I am also pleased to acknowledge the excellent work of the leadership of the college and its director general, Michel Louis Beauchamp, and its chairman of the board, Samuel Bergeron, as well as the work done by the Fondation du Collège, led by Jocelyne Roch and backed by Paul Paré, chairman of the board.

This passionate team is working for the benefit of our young people and our future.

Happy 50th anniversary, Collège Lionel-Groulx.

Prostate Cancer

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Speaker, last week Peter Stoffer courageously shared his recent prostate cancer diagnosis. As the former member of Parliament for Sackville—Eastern Shore, Peter Stoffer is a leader in our community and continues to advocate for veterans across Canada. I want to thank him for his tireless work and also wish him well.

On average, 58 Canadians will be diagnosed with prostate cancer daily. Many of us have men in our lives who courageously fight this disease. This includes my colleague from Cumberland—Colchester, who did not let his 2008 diagnosis stop him in his determination to fight for his community. I am so proud to sit in the House with him today, because he is strong and healthy.

I hope that all members of the House will join me in wishing Peter Stoffer the absolute best and a speedy recovery. As Movember quickly approaches, let us all encourage the men in our lives to get checked early, because that is the key. They should contact their doctors as soon as possible.

Wiarton Willie

[Larry Miller, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning, sad and forlorn,
As all of Wiarton continues to mourn.
Sadly, good things do not forever last:
Wiarton's finest citizen has passed.
For 13 years, on a morning so chilly
Out of his burrow came Wiarton Willie.
The world waited for his prediction;
He gave it with accuracy and conviction.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
He did his job with zest and clout,
He took his job seriously, he did not guess;
That's why Willie stood out from the rest.
Punxsutawney Phil, Shubenacadie Sam, and Balzac Billy—
They are mere rookies compared to Willie.
One of a kind, an albino from head to toe,
His white fur glistened like fresh February snow.
At 8 a.m. he'd whisper to the mayor
Whether the day was snowy or fair.
His life on earth was only 13 yrs long;
He was always right and never wrong.
Hearts will be heavy, eyes full of mist,
Wiarton Willie will be Willie Willie missed.
His time with us now has ceased;
Wiarton Willie, rest in peace.

Artists of Stonebridge

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an organization in my riding that encourages creativity.

Artists of Stonebridge is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increased awareness, appreciation, and promotion of original art in the communities of Stonebridge, Barrhaven, and Nepean. It provides local artists with the opportunity to interact, learn, and form their own art exhibits.

Since I took office, Artists of Stonebridge have provided my constituency and parliamentary offices with fantastic pieces of art. I would like to thank Sylvia Langlois, Nicole Parent, Tony Mihok, and Richard Pell for their ongoing generosity.

I invite all residents of Nepean and Ottawa to attend the Artists of Stonebridge's eighth annual art show on November 4 and 5, at the Stonebridge Golf Club in Nepean.

Franco-Ontarian Day

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario francophones will be celebrating Franco-Ontarian Day on September 25. This summer, I travelled around Ontario talking to community groups about the importance of francophone immigration. Francophone immigrants strengthen our communities and sustain the French language.

In Toronto, I met with many francophones who want to help support francophone immigrants and integrate them into the local economy. In Sudbury, the community came up with all kinds of great ideas for attracting and welcoming newcomers to our communities and encouraging them to stay. Ottawa francophones want the government to not only meet its francophone immigration target but exceed it. That is exactly what we are going to do.

Acadie—Bathurst has a francophone majority, and as its representative, I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Ontario francophone communities. I wish all Ontario francophones a wonderful Franco-Ontarian Day.

Daniel Lafontaine

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to honour a man who has dedicated his life to helping his fellow veterans, a man who personally served his country on several overseas missions and who now has to live with the psychological scars caused by the horrors he witnessed on those missions.

Very soon, upon my recommendation, which I was proud to give, retired sergeant Daniel Lafontaine, known as “Fonfon” to his friends, will be receiving a Veterans Ombudsman Commendation. This well-deserved honour marks the culmination of his years of tireless work calling on governments to recognize the problems our veterans have to deal with. It is also a tribute to the effort Mr. Lafontaine has invested in establishing the annual ceremony honouring peacekeepers that is held in Quebec City every August 9.

Thank you, Fonfon, for your exceptional dedication and your tenacity in advocating for your brothers and sisters in arms. You are someone we can all look up to.

10th Anniversary of Moisson Outaouais

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week I attended the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of Moisson Outaouais, which is a vital organization in our region. The event included a draw held as part of Loto-Moisson, the organization's biggest fundraising campaign so far.

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who is or has been working to make this organization a success, including its chair, Sylvie Turnbull, and its executive director, Sonia Latulippe, as well as the many volunteers and employees involved in its work every day.

In the midst of these celebrations, however, we must not lose sight of the mission of Moisson Outaouais, which is to combat food insecurity. I invite all of my colleagues and all Canadians to get involved, both individually and collectively, in the fight against poverty and hunger by meeting with local stakeholders to find out what they need and by participating in fundraising campaigns.

Summer Activities in Regina—Lewvan

[Erin Weir, NDP, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is the last day of summer. Students are back in school reporting on what they did over the summer, and I would like to do the same.

I spent the summer knocking on more than 8,000 doors to meet and hear from my constituents, and often from their dogs as well.

As part of this canvassing, we invited residents to free community barbeques in Albert Park, Harbour Landing, Lakeview, Rosemont, and Walsh Acres, where my staff served more than 3,000 hamburgers and hotdogs.

The people of Regina—Lewvan are also hungry for policy. On the doorsteps and at events, more than 4,000 residents eagerly signed our petition calling on the federal government to use its regulatory power over telecommunications to help keep SaskTel public.

I look forward to representing my constituents on that and other issues as Parliament resumes.

Invictus Games

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, next week Canada welcomes military members and veterans from around the world for the third annual Invictus Games in Toronto. Invictus means unconquerable. The games allow injured veterans to use friendly competition and support from family, friends, and their country to help them on their journey back to wellness.

I want to welcome all competitors to Canada, and wish them luck.

Good luck to all the veterans competing in the games.

These games would not be possible without the support of loving families, sponsors, and volunteers. I want to thank them all for their passion.

I also want to thank my good friend Michael Burns, who has dedicated the last decade of his life to military families and veterans. From True Patriot Love to running the Invictus Games, Michael is making such a positive impact on the lives of military families. I am proud that our alma mater, Dalhousie University, is recognizing his work with an honorary degree. Congratulations to Dr. Burns.

I would like to thank the volunteers at the Invictus games. Go Canada go.

Employee Congratulations

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today marks 20 years that Hugo Dompierre has been in the House leader's office. He has served eight House leaders with distinction, and has survived 10 House leader shuffles. That is not only a testament to his talent as a proceduralist, but also his professionalism and easy-going manner. Hugo honed his procedural skills under the tutelage of his mentor Jerry Yanover, and is an indispensable member and a key procedural expert of the House leadership team. In addition to serving House leaders, Hugo is always ready to assist caucus members in navigating the somewhat byzantine procedures of the House.

Hugo is a lover of film, music, and literature, never failing to impress with his movie references and his deep admiration for the French language and Franco-Ontarian culture. As an excellent drummer in his own right, he always has a handle on the beat of this place.

Keeping him grounded are his lovely wife Nancy, and his two beautiful sons Antoine and Justin. On behalf of the Liberal caucus, and I expect on behalf of the whole House, I wish Hugo a very happy 20th anniversary. We love Hugo.

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, former Liberal finance minister John Manley is saying that the damage is already being done. Manley says business owners are moving assets outside of Canada to avoid these Liberal tax hikes. In his words:

You won’t know about it because they’re not going to buy ads or report it—they’ll just go.

Since we know that the Minister of Finance is not listening or believing middle-class Canadians, will he at least believe John Manley and scrap these devastating tax increases?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the opposition member for her question. I was hoping that I would not be forgotten today and that I would be asked at least one question. This gives me the opportunity to rise for the first time as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and remind the opposition that our government's objective is a fairer tax system.

The current system is inherently unfair and allows wealthy Canadians to incorporate so they pay a lower rate of tax than the middle class.

We think that we need to keep taxes low for the middle class and SMEs, while asking all Canadians to pay their fair share.

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

Mr. Speaker, these changes at not fair and they are hurting the middle class.

Serious concerns have been raised by experts, business leaders, and small business owners, not just by us but by experts in Canada. These are not frivolous complaints. They are legitimate questions.

However, the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister just do not care. They are arrogantly ignoring these real worries and real questions.

When will they admit that this tax increase is a terrible idea? It is unfair and it needs to stop.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we were elected on a very clear promise to the middle class. That is why the first thing we did was to raise taxes for the wealthiest 1% and cut them for nine million Canadians. That is why we moved forward with the Canada child benefit, which will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

That is also why we are proposing to make our tax system a little fairer so that a Canadian who earns $300,000 a year and decides to incorporate to save $48,000, the average income in Canada, does not have access to more benefits than the middle class. We want the tax system to be fairer.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable how tone deaf they are to what is going on out there.

Throughout this week, we have heard countless stories of small business owners, entrepreneurs, farmers, and their employers who will be devastated by these Liberal tax increases. We know that these tax increases have been designed to specifically protect the family fortunes of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.

Why are the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance putting their own well-being and self-interest against middle-class Canadians?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House recognize that small and medium enterprises are crucial to the vitality of the Canadian economy. That is why the small business tax rate, the lowest in the G7, is not changing. We are on side with farmers. We are on side with small businesses. We have their backs. We want to make our tax system a little fairer.

That is why we put forward our proposals and why we are holding consultations about those proposals now. We are listening to Canadians because we want to make sure we are doing things properly. We are not trying to go after small businesses or the middle class. All we want is a fairer tax system.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians small business owners and their employees are worried because the Liberal government is calling them spoiled rich people who use their businesses to avoid paying taxes. All week, the Minister of Finance has been trying to demonize these men and women by suggesting that they are tax cheats.

This despite the fact that Canadian small businesses are the reason Canada was able to withstand the last economic crisis.

Why is the Minister of Finance punishing them for things that his own Prime Minister has done to shelter his family fortune without creating a single job? That is not fair.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is, our current tax system has some inherent inequities that we want and need to address. That is why we have brought forward these proposals and why we are listening to Canadians. We want to do this right.

Yes, it is and was legal, but we do not think it is necessarily fair that someone who makes $300,000 a year can save $48,000 a year simply by creating a private company, especially when that is the average salary in Canada. We think we can do better and we can a have a fairer, more equitable system for all Canadians.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 95% of small businesses believe that the reform will have a negative impact on them. In Saskatoon yesterday, dozens of people hit the streets to protest a reform that is going to jeopardize their business, their farm, their practice, their retirement, or the transfer of their business to their children.

Here is what one of them had to say about the reform proposed by the Minister of Finance:

“This is take over, it almost feels like we're under attack.”

How is it fair to protect the private fortunes of the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister, while raising taxes for small businesses and farms, forcing them to pay more?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we will always stand behind our farmers and small business owners.

That is why we are maintaining the lowest tax rate in the G7. We recognize how important SMEs are to the Canadian economy. That is all we want, and that is why we have brought forward proposals to create a tax system that is fairer and more equitable, one that asks everyone to pay their fair share, while keeping tax rates low for small businesses and for the middle class. That is our goal, and we are continuing our consultations to make sure we get this right.

Public Services and Procurement

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to having to deal with the botched Phoenix pay system, public servants have now learned that their privacy was breached because of the glitches in this system.

Commissioner Therrien found at least 11 privacy breaches, including leaked names, employee numbers and salaries. Enough is enough.

The Liberals have mismanaged this file from start to finish. When will the problems with the Phoenix pay system finally be fixed?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, our government takes the protection and security of employees' personal information seriously.

Any time the department experiences an incident, we follow a systematic approach to immediately contain the breach and implement corrective measures, including notifying the Privacy Commissioner and affected employees. This process was followed after privacy breaches related to Phoenix and we have implemented recommendations from the Privacy Commissioner to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals seem to think that throwing money at the problem is going to fix it. Well, so far, it is not working. Not only has the Privacy Commissioner found 11 cases in which employees names and salaries have been leaked, but we also learned this week that the cost to fix Phoenix has now tripled and that has still not been fixed. The NDP has repeatedly demanded that the government fix the issue and there is no end in sight.

Does the government actually have a plan or just a box of Band-Aids?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that hard-working public servants are not being paid the money they are owed, and resolving this is definitely a priority for our government. We have taken a number of steps toward resolving this issue, including investing $142 million to recruit, hire, and train more employees; initiating emergency pay advances; implementing technological solutions; improving business processes; and taking a whole-of-government approach by creating a working group of ministers.

Make no mistake, this will be fixed and we will leave no stone unturned.

International Trade

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the third round of NAFTA renegotiations start in Ottawa. Just this week, an Ekos poll found that 76% of Canadians said that we should not accept a bad deal if negotiations result in worse conditions for Canadians and our environment, and 80% said that NAFTA clauses that leave our water vulnerable to export and privatization should be removed. We agree. Bulk exports of our water resources do not serve the public interest.

Will the Liberals stand up for Canadians and protect our water?