House of Commons Hansard #252 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was sexual.
Mrs. Rosemarie Falk, member for the electoral district of Battlefords—Lloydminster, introduced by the Hon. Andrew Scheer and Mr. Randy Hoback.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Acting Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Mr. Gordie Hogg, member for the electoral district of South Surrey—White Rock.
Mr. Gordie Hogg, member for the electoral district of South Surrey—White Rock, introduced by the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau and the Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Acting Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Mr. Churence Rogers, member for the electoral district of Bonavista—Burin—Trinity.
Mr. Churence Rogers, member for the electoral district of Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, introduced by the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau and the Hon. Seamus O'Regan.
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Acting Chief Electoral Officer a certificate of the election and return of Ms. Jean Yip, member for the electoral district of Scarborough—Agincourt.
Ms. Jean Yip, member for the electoral district of Scarborough—Agincourt, introduced by the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau and the Hon. Ahmed Hussen.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Papineau has earned the distinction of being the first Canadian leader to break our ethics laws. In response to the Ethics Commissioner's report, he failed to accept full responsibility for his actions. He even implied that she made a mistake.
Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he fully accepts the commissioner's report regarding his illegal conduct?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, immediately after the report was released, I took responsibility, as any leader should do, and I accepted all of the commissioner's conclusions. I have taken measures to ensure that, moving forward, all of my family vacations will be approved in advance by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and I will continue to follow all advice and recommendations from the commissioner regarding how to deal with my family friendship with the Aga Khan.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, he should not have had to wait for the Ethics Commissioner's report. The Conflict of Interest Act states that the Prime Minister is responsible for “arrang[ing] his or her private affairs in a manner that will prevent [him] from being in a conflict of interest”.
Therefore, does the Prime Minister agree with the Ethics Commissioner that he failed to meet these standards as required by law?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, immediately after the report was released I took responsibility. I accepted the full recommendations of the commissioner and will be moving forward in a such a way that any personal vacations or family travel gets approved in advance by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister received multiple briefings on dealings between his government and the Aga Khan, whom he describes as a close family friend. The Prime Minister should have been aware of his responsibilities under the Conflict of Interest Act, especially when it comes to mixing government business and friendship.
Why did he do nothing to ensure that he was not in a conflict of interest?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as the commissioner concluded, I did not take part in any decisions regarding the Aga Khan or the Aga Khan Foundation.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, his lawyers argued that when he took office, the Prime Minister had no foreseeable business with the Aga Khan. This is despite the Aga Khan's frequent dealings with the previous government and ongoing projects, all of which the Prime Minister was briefed on.
Does the Prime Minister really expect us to believe that it was impossible to anticipate any conflict of interest?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, when the commissioner put out her report, we accepted it immediately, and I took responsibility for my actions. At the same time, moving forward, as is important and as Canadians expect, we will ensure that we work with the conflict of interest commissioner on any personal family vacation or any personal travel the Prime Minister undertakes in the future.
Andrew Scheer ConservativeLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the Aga Khan's representatives asked to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss ongoing business with his government. Now, that meeting request, which was accepted, was made just two days before the Prime Minister took one of his vacations to the Aga Khan's private island.
Accepting a meeting with lobbyists representing the man whose generous hospitality he was about to enjoy, how could the Prime Minister not realize that was a conflict of interest?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as I have said, I accept the full recommendations and conclusions of the commissioner.
I think it is important that the commissioner and that we recognize a more stringent set of rules for what constitutes a friendship. These are the kinds of things we fully accept and fully understand. We will move forward in a way that Canadians can be sure that any family travel or personal travel by the Prime Minister, by myself, will be verified and worked through with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, increasingly Canada is divided into two worlds, the wealthy and the struggling. By January 2, Canada's top-paid CEOs had already earned what the average Canadian earned in a year.
In 2017, the wages of CEOs increased 16 times faster than those of most Canadians, but the Prime Minister is showing he does not get it. He allows CEOs to keep their lucrative stock option loophole, while telling Sears workers to suck it up and be happy with EI rather than their own pensions that they paid into.
When will he get to work for these people rather than his CEO friends?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, especially because the member opposite voted against it, the very first thing we did was lower taxes for the middle class and raise them on the wealthiest 1%. We then delivered a Canada child benefit that gives more money to nine out of 10 Canadian families by not sending child benefit cheques to millionaire families. On top of that, we have invested close to $1 billion on tax avoidance and tax evasion to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.
We are going to continue to make sure that our system is fairer and that we support the middle class and people working hard to join it.
Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC
Mr. Speaker, that is certainly poor comfort to those Sears workers.
According to Oxfam, 82% of global wealth created in 2017 went to the richest 1%. The 1% are the people that the Prime Minister wooed in Davos, Switzerland. The 1% are people like Stephen Bronfman and the Aga Khan, who are personal friends of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister lets CEOs keep their generous tax deductions for stock options while asking Sears employees to settle for employment insurance instead of the pensions they poured their own money into.
When will he finally fight for all Canadians instead of just the 1%?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the first thing this government did was lower taxes for the middle class and increase them for the wealthy. Next, we created the Canada child benefit, which gives more tax-free money every month to nine out of 10 families. We can do that because we stopped sending cheques to millionaire families. We will continue to invest in the middle class and all those working hard to join it. That is our priority. That is what we have been working on for the past two years and will continue to work on for the next two years.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, we have all been shaken by the allegations that have come to light over the past few months and days. I want to take the opportunity to tell those who have come forward that we support them, we believe them, we hear them, and we will do absolutely everything we can to change the culture here on Parliament Hill.
I want to assure the Prime Minister that the NDP is fully committed to working with the government and all parties here in this House to make sure that we move in the right direction on this issue.
What actions can parliamentarians take to help shift the culture here on Parliament Hill?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her question, her statement, and her hard work on this file.
It is important that women and men break the taboo of silence and become allies and supporters in standing up against gender violence, standing up against sexual harassment and sexual assault in workplaces, in homes, and in communities right across this country.
This is a problem that has gone on for far too long, and it is time we dealt with it, particularly here in Parliament, where we set an example for the rest of the country. That is why, with Bill C-65, we are committed to taking an important step towards improving workplaces in federally regulated industries and on Parliament Hill. I look forward to working with members of all parties on improving this legislation and ensuring that it moves forward.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to hear that, but we still have some solutions and suggestions to offer.
It is no secret that one way to change the culture on the Hill is to get more women elected to the House . The Prime Minister has often spoken about how important it is to get more women elected, but he rejected the member for Burnaby South's proposal to promote gender parity in electoral candidates. The Prime Minister has also rejected the NDP's proposals on electoral reform. Just 26% of members here in the House are women.
How does the Prime Minister plan to get more women elected to the House?
Justin Trudeau LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I completely agree that we need more women in politics. This will change our country's politics as well as its corporate culture. This will change the conversation in our communities across the country. This is essential. That is why I was proud to be one of the first leaders in the world to choose a gender-balanced cabinet. This is an important step. We have a lot of work to do to get more women elected to the House of Commons, and we will continue to work on this every day until the next election.